Meru County hosts this year’s World Cancer day and mass screening at Meru Town. The World Cancer day, which is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), is marked every year on February 4. Meru County is seen as the right host with reports showing that it leads in cancer cases across the country.
As reported by Nation, the medical practitioners in the region have cited that the epidemic is claiming many lives in Meru and Northern Kenya. For instance, a pathologist in the county indicates that up to 40 lab test requests he receives every month turn out to be positive to cancer.
#WorldCancerDay #IAmAndIWill #WCD2019KE @MOH_Kenya @KEHPCA @kenconetwork public queueing for screening at Meru County on World Cancer Day. pic.twitter.com/KzWIYo8zdp
— Zipporah Ali MD (@zippyali) February 4, 2019
Moreover, the medical director in the region Dr Giuseppe Gaido told the Nation, “I started noticing a rise in the number of cancer patients at this facility in 2009, and the cases have been increasing. It is very worrying that more young people are being diagnosed with cancer. We have seen women as young as 31 being diagnosed with cervical cancer.” This could explain the high turnout witnessed today as the residents showed up for screening.
#WorldCancerDay #IAmAndIWill #WCD2019KE #IAmaKenyanAndIWillPreventAndFightCancer @MOH_Kenya @kenco @KEHPCA @uicc @acsglobal the public in Meru County turn up in big numbers for screen end education on cancer @MeruCountyGovt @MeruCounty012 pic.twitter.com/IjMZg9t2AD
— Zipporah Ali MD (@zippyali) February 4, 2019
Food consumed in the region have been blamed for the epidemic since 3 out of 5 cases turn out to be oesophagus or somach cancer. More specifically, authorities and stakeholders have indicated that the maize could have high levels cancer-causing elements. These reports are yet to be established. “We suspect the maize being consumed in the region is to blame. However, this is subject to verification through a comprehensive research”, Dr Gaido added.
The Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital was recently equipped with an operational oncology clinic and had close to 700 cancer patients registered for chemotherapy last year alone. Further staggering statistics show that the county reported over 1600 new cancer cases between 2015 and 2016.
The celebrations are meant, among other things, to raise awareness among the residents. The residents are urged to present themselves for screening since the disease can be better managed during the initial stages.