Medical group counsels women on cervical cancer prevention
The founding Executive Director of the group, Dr. Maltida Kerry, gave the advice at a press conference ahead of the Cervical Cancer Awareness scheduled for January and February in Lagos.
Kerry, who lamented the rate at which cervical cancer is killing women in Nigeria, explained that early detection of the disease was critical.
She said, “Cervical cancer is 100 per cent preventable yet it kills one Nigerian woman every hour (over 8, 000 women annually). It can be detected in its early pre-cancer stage and completely treated. However, if not treated, it becomes fully established and leads to death.
“Cervical screening detects abnormal cervical changes before they can become cancer. It is a highly effective tool for cervical cancer screening and prevention.
“We encourage women to contact their health care provider to schedule a cervical screening test to check for cervical changes. This vital five minute screening is a crucial part of a woman’s health care regimen, yet many overlook it.”
Kerry also noted that women must adhere to the recommendations of medical experts for safety.
She added, “They must abide by some recommendations from the medical experts. For instance, they should try to schedule your cervical screening when you are not menstruating.
“To ensure that you get the most accurate result, it is recommended that you avoid vaginal intercourse, douching, and tampons 48 hours prior to your pap smear appointment. Spermicidal foams, creams, or inserts should also be avoided.”
She explained that the awareness week was to provide free screening and treatment for women who test positive.
She said, “Women are dying in large numbers because of lack of awareness and failure to get regular screening. This is why we have teamed up with Exquisite Magazine in line with international practice to provide extensive awareness campaigns and mass cervical screening to Nigerian women free of charge. It will entail free treatment for women who test positive during the exercise and follow up counselling for them and their partners.”
CULLED FROM:PUNCH NEWSPAPERS
January 16, 2013 by Sodiq Oyeleke
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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