Cervical cancer advocate and Founder of the HART Community Development Initiative, Ms Harriet Anita Abaidoo, has called for increased public education on cervical cancer, considering the cunning nature of the disease.
According to her, women refused to give attention to occurrences with their reproductive system because “they usually think abdominal discharges and bleedings are normal and they do not seek medical help”.
She said this when her foundation, in partnership with the Divine Grace Clinic and Maternity Home, had a breast and cervical cancer screening for women in the Accra West District of the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Bubuashie in Accra last Sunday.
The breast and cervical cancer screening was aimed at conscientising women about the existence of the two deadly diseases and the need for early screening and detection to avoid deaths.
Silent killer
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, a health worker and Chief Executive Officer of Divine Grace Clinic and Maternity Home, Ms Freda Agyeman, said cervical cancer cells were not aggressive and did not spread quickly and “because of this nature, it may be present in a woman for up to 10 years before she will begin to see symptoms”.
She said usually before one would see symptoms, it might already be late because the cell would have matured.
She used the screening exercise as an opportunity to advise the women to stay away from unsafe sexual practices and avoid multiple sexual partners because the virus was sexually transmitted.
She also advised women with precancerous lesions to seek medical attention quickly since the cancerous cells had not developed fully.
“If you are a sexually active woman, then you should screen at least every three years to be sure you are safe from cervical cancer,” she added.
Churches
The Minister in charge of the Accra West District Seventh Day Adventist Church, Pastor George Kusagbe, thanked the HART Initiative for the timely intervention for the women in the church.
He encouraged churches to conduct breast and cervical screening exercises since women were sometimes scared to go to hospital to be tested,” but when they know it is going to be done in the church they would become confident and would participate willingly.
No more fear
A participant in the screening exercise, Ms Angelina Bawuah Aidoo, told the Daily Graphic that she was afraid initially because she had not had her breast or cervix screened before, but after going through both “I am feeling better now because the fear is gone”.
Ms Ellen Opoku, another participant, expressed her gratitude to the church and the organisers for the exercise since she had found it difficult to go to the hospital to be screened.
