KAKAMEGA FIRST LADY LAUNCHES CARE GIVERS CERVICAL CANCER AWARENESS

The First Lady Kakamega County Prof. Janet Kassily Barasa today, Tuesday, officially launched the Cervical Cancer Awareness and Screening for Kakamega County Care givers at the County General Hospital grounds.

In her speech, Prof. Kassily noted that Cervical Cancer is the second most common cancer in the world contributing to a half a million new cases and over 300,000 deaths annually. Most of these cases, she said, occur in Africa and other low and middle-income Countries.

In Kenya, she added, Cervical Cancer is the leading cause of cancer related deaths contributing to 10% of all cancer deaths. This accounts for 5,250 (12.9%) of the new cancer cases and 3,400 (11.84%) of all cancer deaths annually.

The 2021 available data at Kakamega County Cancer Center indicates that a total of 1,915 clients were screened for cancer of the cervix and another 1,335 screened for breast cancer. In the same year as a County we lost five people to cervical cancer, three to breast cancer, another three to prostate cancer and 13 to cancer of the oesophagus.

As part of encouragement to other women to undergo the screening, the First Lady was screened at the facility to determine her status.

She advised that when tested early, Cervical Cancer is the most successfully treatable cancer and called upon the National and County Governments, partners and other health stakeholders to join hands in creating cervical cancer screening awareness to reduce cervical cancer mortality rates.