Awareness Defects, Major Cause of Rising Cases of Cancer in Africa – Aisha
Oreva Okolor Ben
The First Lady, and founder of the Aisha Buhari Foundation, Aisha Buhari has called on relevant stakeholders to make a concerted effort to ensure effective prevention and control of cancer in the country.
The wife of the president made this call on Tuesday, when she received members of the Nigerian Cancer Society (NCS) at the State House, Abuja.
“Cancer is a global burden and a major cause of death, especially among the African population because many have died of breast, cervical, and prostate cancers.
“Lack of proper awareness also contributed to the rising cases of death from the cancer scourge, as a founder of Aisha Buhari Foundation, I am interested in working with stakeholders to save lives,” she said.
She, therefore, expressed determination to scale up awareness creation and provide support for the screening of breast and cervical cancer patients across the country.
Buhari told the gathering that their efforts will go a long way in supporting the Federal Government`s determination towards accelerating the fight against cancer.
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“Let us network, collaborate, and intensify efforts in ensuring proper implementation of the National Cancer Control Plan to significantly reduce the death rate in Nigeria.
“Cancer is preventable and when detected early, could lead to its control,” she said.
In his remark, Dr. Ahmadu Al-Hassan, President, Nigerian Cancer Society, expressed gratitude to the first lady for her continued support towards promoting the health and physical well-being of women and children.
Al-Hassan said cervical cancer was one of the diseases affecting women and girls in the country which can be prevented and cured through the use of Human Papillomavirus Vaccines (HPV).
“The vaccines are out of the reach for many Nigerians; the struggle to make HPV vaccination available to all eligible teenage girls is very dear to many Nigerian women.
“We are not unaware of the efforts towards ensuring that our young girls receive the HPV vaccines,” he said.
