Youth encouraged to fight breast, cervical cancer

DAR ES SALAAM: YOUTH have been encouraged to go for regular health checkups in order to take proper precautions against breast and cervical cancer.

Founder and CEO of the Nuru Yetu Foundation based in Dar es Salaam, Ms Zauja Mohamed, said that frequent check-ups were essential for people to take the necessary precautions against breast and cervical cancer.

Ms Mohamed explained that daily health screens allow anyone to become acquainted with his or her health status, allowing for the easy diagnosis of disease signs in order to seek medical care and adopt an acceptable lifestyle, which includes eating a balanced diet and engaging in physical activity.

“With regular health checkup people with health problems can promptly start medical treatment s as prescribed by medical experts,” Ms Mohamed told the ‘Daily News’ recently during the girls round table training on how to prevent breast and cervical cancer.

She said that youth in different regions, notably in Dar es Salaam, wait until it is too late to get medical check-ups in order to understand their health status, a scenario that bad g because it causes them to spend exorbitant costs for treatment in the hope of being cured or not.

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She said that cancer becomes chronic after being present in the human body for an extended period of time without medical treatment.

She also identified improper lifestyles, such as unhealthy sex, excessive alcohol drinking and smoking, and a lack of physical activity, as major causes of cancer.

Ms Mohamed said since inception, Nuru Yetu has been providing health awareness to youth by organising community health-based events, school visiting, cooperating with Local Government Authorities’ (LGAs) administrators at the grass root level in Dar es Salaam.

Equally, Doctor Godlove Isidor, from Nilax Home Health and Rehabilitation Care said health check culture can enable people to precisely eat a balanced diet and do physical exercise by considering what the body wants as the medical screen results suggest.

He said “HPV is the most common sexually transmitted infection in Tanzania. If you have had an HPV infection, you are not alone around 80 per cent of women will get an HPV infection in their lifetime” Dr Isidor said most of the time, body immune system clears up an HPV infection, but for some women, HPV does not go away.

It causes changes in the cervix that lead to cervical cancer. He explained that regular cervical cancer screenings, such as Pap tests and HPV tests, are crucial for early detection and prevention of cervical cancer.

“These screenings can detect abnormal cells in the cervix before they develop into cancer or identify cancer at an early stage when it is most treatable,” adding that by identifying and treating precancerous cells, screenings can prevent the development of cervical cancer altogether.

Swaiba Muhamed, a UDSM student said there are different benefits of having regular checkup of cervical and breast cancer since is they are the most common cancers in women.

She mentioned one of the benefits is the peace of mind they provide. Saying regular check-ups can help alleviate anxiety and fear associated with the possibility of developing cervical cancer.

“Knowing that you are taking proactive steps to monitor your health can provide a sense of control and empowerment,” she said.

Furthermore, Ms Muhammed explained that regular screenings can also help identify other gynecological issues that may require medical attention.