BY FIONA MOTSA
MBABANE- The first of October marked the start of the International Cancer Awareness Month.
It is an annual campaign to raise awareness about the impact of Breast Cancer, Metastatic Breast Cancer and Liver cancer by breast cancer.
Charities every October to increase awareness of the disease, raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis and treatment and cure.
Cancer is said to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
However, this is no train smash because the good news is that one third of cancers are preventable. Up to 3.7 million lives can be saved each year by implementing strategies for the early detection of cancer, prevention and also its treatment.
The Executive Director of Eswatini Breast and Cervical Cancer Network (EBCCN), Tengetile Kubheka said that Cancer was a silent killer and it should be treated with caution.
This is why they encourage cancer screenings each year for early detection for cervical, prostate, breast, Kaposi sarcoma and colorectal cancers. These cancers listed are said to be the main cause of deaths each year.
The Ministry of Health released the Eswatini Cancer status which showed that 5 637 cases were reported since 2016 to date.
It further details that so far 535 cancers have been reported from January 2022 to June 2022. The report also shows that peoples between the ages of 25-49 were more vulnerable to cancer.
The necessary measures are being taken by the ministry and people have to play their part in encouraging and supporting cancer patients without prejudice, side-lining or stigmatism.
During the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, people wear pink ribbons to honour survivors, remember those lost to the disease and support the progress of defeating breast cancer.
