Cancer Screening advocacy forum held in Nyeri town

Nyeri

Thursday, September 28, 2023

KNA by Beth Ndirangu

Nyeri MCA Agnes Wachira together with oncologists and youthful Cancer Victors on Thursday held a Cancer screening advocacy forum at the Nyeri National Polytechnic, Nyeri town.

Wachira said that September is a children's and youth Cancer awareness month, prompting the need to reach out to the youthful population and teach them the benefits of early screening and healthy living and eating lifestyles.

She said that Research has proven that regular Cancer screening is crucial for early detection and prevention, while that 30% to 50% of Cancer deaths can be prevented through risk factor modification and evidence-based prevention strategies.

She said the team is committed to calling out all people to go out for early screening as we approach October the Cancer Awareness Month, which is possible in the Nyeri County Referral Hospital and the Nyeri Health Center through NHIF approvals.

She added that Currently, the high disease burden is a result of a lack of willingness to test which leads to late detection and possibly loss of life.

This, she said, has evoked fear of the disease and deters people from testing, setting in motion the vicious cycle of late detection.

The team is advocating for early screening as the only way to flip the ratio.

“The preventive approach is more manageable than the curative option,’’ added Wachira.

She noted that Nyeri County is among the leading counties nationally in the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases like Cancer so it's important to heed this noble call of early screening.

Courtesy; KNA