Head of Institutional Public Health Unit at the Kyebi Government Hospital, Ms Akushika Agbenu has called on men to patronise breast screening as cancer could be more dangerous in men than women. He also urged them to disregard the myth on breast screening being for only female since the disease is no respecter of persons.
Ms Agbenu who is also a physician assistant said the myth created over the years has left a lot of men ignorant about breast cancer disease, and has therefore created a more threat in men as a lot of men could live with the disease without having any knowledge about it.
Speaking to the Graphic Online on Monday October 26, 2020 at an awareness campaign and free breast screening initiative organised by the Kyebi Government Hospital, Ms Agbenu explained that men were at more risks in than women.
“Most times we say the disease is in the female, but what we have to know is that when a man is being diagnosed of breast cancer the prognosis is worse than a female. This could be due to the fact that they don’t go for breast screening and try to self-medicate until it gets out of hands,” she said.
Ms Agbenu said misconception regarding the contraction age has also encouraged the worsening situation among female.
Causes
She explained that the development of the disease predominantly could be as a result of personal habits developed individuals including drinking of alcohol, smoking and lack of exercise leading to obesity. She also noted that environmental activities which pollute air such fuse from vehicles and bush burning and the likes were also catalyst for development of the disease.
She urged NGO’s, corporate organisations as well as the government to support the initiative in with the needed finance, equipment and personnel in order to widen the breast cancer campaign initiative across the country.
Campaign and patronage
The hospital’s initiative to celebrate the pink month with breast cancer awareness and breast screening campaign aims at increasing the level of education on the disease as well as promote early detection and diagnosis has been lauded by the residents.
Observation made by the Graphic Online during a visit revealed that hospital mounted screening centre at vantage points including churches, mosques, community centre in Kyebi as well as the hospital to screen staff and residents as part of the initiative dubbed, “Touch and stop the cancer”. However, it was observed that only female participated in the screening at the various facilities visited.
The exercise has so far not recorded any case of breast cancer across the over 300 persons examined as at Monday including a male. Albeit, some score have been referred for further examination.
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