MORE than 5 000 women have received free cervical cancer screening at Mpilo Hospital so far.
Mpilo clinical director Mr Wedu Ndebele said the hospital was receiving an over whelming response.
“At least 5 497 women have been screened at Mpilo Central Hospital from the year 2011 to September this year. This is a positive response meaning that awareness campaigns are a success and they still need to be intensified to attract more women,” said Dr Wedu.
He said global estimates show that over 500 000 new cases of cancer occur every year.
“These statistics show that cervical cancer is a health threat to all women hence we need to address it. All women who have never been screened have high chances of contracting the disease,” said Dr Ndebele.
Medical experts say early detection is the key for cancer as many lives could be saved.
“Medical advances have made it possible for some types of cancer, when detected early enough, to be treated successfully. However, for many people cancer is fatal. There are still some cancers that are not amenable to successful treatment,” he said.
He said it is advisable for women that once they become sexually active they go for cervical screening.
“Women who have foul smelling discharges, lower abdominal pain, fever, bleeding in excess during menstruation or sexually active should report to local clinics immediately for screening so as to prevent the disease,” said Dr Ndebele.
In Zimbabwe, over 2500 deaths have occurred while more than 5000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed annually.
According to the Zimbabwe National Cancer Registry, black women in Zimbabwe are at a greater risk of developing the disease for reasons still to be researched.
- Zim Metro
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