By the time you finish reading this story and do one or two things, three people will have died of cancer. According to government statistics, the disease claims 60 lives per day in Kenya, or about three per hour!
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta says cancer ranks third as a cause of death in Kenya, after infectious and cardiovascular diseases, affecting men, women and children alike. “We are losing 60 Kenyans per day to various versions of the disease,” she said today at a sponsors’ breakfast for the 9th Stop Cervical Breast and Prostate Cancer in Africa Conference (SCCA) to be held at KICC, Nairobi.
“These figures need to shock us and more importantly, they need to serve as a wake-up call to each one of us – no one is safe from the disease.”
The Conference will bring together first ladies, parliamentarians, ministers of health, health professionals, scientists, advocates against cancer, corporate entities and other relevant stakeholders.
She said cancers are killing more people globally than HIV, TB and Malaria combined. A key challenge in fighting the disease is late diagnosis, she noted, with over 70% of the cases detected in their far too late making management and recovery almost impossible.
“Lack of awareness among our people, inadequate health facilities where diagnosis and treatment can take place and the high cost of treatment are all prohibitive factors,” Mrs Kenyatta said.
As the host nation of this Conference, Kenya must show our commitment to fighting cancer, a disease that is both a crippling and wasteful affliction that slowly kills its victims, she said. “Cancer is a burden on family resources and the nation’s healthcare infrastructure.”
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