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Stakeholders urge women to go for cancer screening test

By Segun Olaniyi, Abuja
08 October 2015   |   3:52 am
STAKEHOLDERS in the health sector has called on women to go for cervical cancer screening test so as to reduce the incidence and mortality of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in the body.
cancer screening test

cancer screening test

STAKEHOLDERS in the health sector has called on women to go for cervical cancer screening test so as to reduce the incidence and mortality of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in the body.

According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection that affects both men and women. It is so common that most sexually active people will get some variety of it at some point, even if they have few sexual partners.

The call was made at the sensitization meeting for implementing partners organized by the Nigeria National Cervical Cancer Screening Scale Up Project (NNCCSuP) in Abuja yesterday, by Vice Chairman, Technical Working Group of NNCCSuP, Prof. Francis Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti, who said cervical cancer is recognized after breast cancer as the second most cancer in women in Nigeria, stressing that the this high prevalence of cervical cancer is worrisome as there is a general lack of awareness within the populace about the disease.

He explained that there are insufficient resources for prevention through HPV vaccination as well as capacity in form of human and maternal resources to treat the large number of those affected.

Durosinmi-Etti pointed out that the disease could be cured at an early age if the patients go for early medical checkup, adding that many NGOs both national and international are on the field complementing government efforts to combating the disease.
“It is known that well-organised cervical screening programmes can reduce cervical cancer incidence and mortality. It has also been observed that countries that have high coverage of cervical cancer screening have significantly reduced incidence of cervical cancer and mortality over the past seven decades and it is envisaged that doing it in Nigeria can produce similar positive results.

He added: “The aim of the NNCCSuP is to increase access of Nigerian women to cervical cancer screening services with the overarching goal of reducing the morbidity and mortality from cervical cancer in Nigeria.”

The vice chairman noted that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has offered to support the World Health Organisation (WHO) in facilitating the scale up of cervical screening in 10 African countries including Nigeria through funding.
“As a result of this magnanimous gesture, we are able to receive the funding that has enabled us to host this sensitization meeting.”

National Coordinator, National Cancer Control Programme, Dr. Ramatu Hassan, said the sensitization programme is an effort of bringing stakeholders to deliberate and join hands with the Federal Ministry of Health so that cervical screening can be brought to women.

Hassan added that this is why we are bringing in stakeholders from different organizations both local and international to chart a way forward of bringing the disease to an end, adding that providing screening and vaccinations to those affected by the disease is what the sensitization is all about.

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