Sheema: Pupils sensitised on cancer prevention, treatment

Aug 14, 2018

Over 7000 children die every year due to cancer.

CANCER AWARENESS

By Adolf Ayoreka

SHEEMA - In a bid to prevent cancer deaths among children, the United SIHKS, in partnership with ReproCan have launched a cancer awareness campaign at Green Valley Primary School in Shuuku town council, Sheema district, sensitised them on how they can reduce their chances of geting cancer.

The pupils were introduced to a number of cancer types ranging from acute leukemia and  burkitt's lymphoma which are common among children, breast cancer, lung cancer, cancer of the curvix, blood cancer among others.

United SIHKS and Reprocan are USA based organisations but operating in Mbarara. The project manager of United SIKHS, Amanjot Kaur says children, especially pupils in primary schools have been left out in most cancer campaigns and much focus put on adults.

While addressing the pupils at the school recently, Amanjot asked pupils and parents to avoid high cholestoral foods which expose them to high risks of contracting cancer by being obese, but rather to eat vegatables and a balanced diet.

She asked girls and women to frequently check their breasts every morning and during their menstrual periods to detect solid substances which she says in most cases tend to turn cancerous.

"We want you to help your parents who don't know how this disease spreads to go home and teach them, the few parents who have showed up i want you to know that too much alcohol consumption and smoking is bad and exposes you to getting cancer.

Amanjot highlighted some of the symptoms of cancer in children as, unusual lump unexplained paleness and loss of energy, easy bruising, an ongoing pain in one area of the body, limping, unexplained fever or illness that doesn't go away, frequent headaches, often with vomiting, sudden eye or vision changes.

She attributes laxity in treatment of cancer to village people who resort to treating cancer symptoms with herbs and others tend to go to churches to pray hoping that they will be fine, "by the time they come to the hospitals for diagnosis, cancer is already in its advance stages and that person has to die, but when you detect it at an early stage it is easier to be treated and be cancer free, so tell other parents not to use herbs in treating cancer symptoms."

It was noted that over 7000 children die every year due to cancer and that there is much concerted efforts needed to reduce on these numbers and  that Uganda Cancer Institute receives over  500  referrals of children with cancer every year.

Moreso Amanjot says this   campaign targets most vulnerable groups which include children in primary schools and refugees in settlement camps.

Alfred Jatho a health educator under community cancer programme at Uganda Cancer Institute told New Vision in an interview that cancer awareness among communities has not been given much attention which has caused many people to fall victims.

Jatho says as Cancer Institute, have embarked on a campaign of circulating handouts to hospitals that treat cancer, and these point out guidelines on how cancer can be examined and treated.

"We are on the campaign of distributing cancer handouts and books to all the health centers in all the districts plus regional referral hospitals thereafter we shall print books for communities which shall be in vanacullar, this will be done in a bid to create more awareness, let people speak about cancer so that we can reduce on the number of people including children who die every year due to cancer," Jatho noted.

 

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