Cervical Cancer dey Gree, But E Fit Just Dey Go

My people, make we gather story about one serious palava wey dey shak our women dem: cervical cancer! E no be small matter, oh.

Watch as dis girl for Mymensingh, Bangladesh, dey collect her HPV vaccine wey fit save her life. Dis vaccine dey help prevent cervical cancer, wey don dey carry many women go meet their maker early. You fit reason am like say na bad news for many, but e get beta side! E dey prevent suffering if dem catch am early.

Last last year, Jeanette for her early 30s just dey chill when dem tell am say she don get cervical cancer. The woman gatz dey think wetin go happen to her body: go she fit born pikin? Go she enter menopause sharp-sharp? Dem don betray her, her body no gree again! As she yarn with WHO, she talk say, “I felt betrayed by my body.” Na really sad story o!

And so, January dey come as Cancer Awareness Month, and WHO dey always dey remind us say dis sickness fit no allow you see road if you no catch am early. We dey talk say cervical cancer na one reproductive cancer wey dey form for woman cervix and fit spread go other part of body if dem no catch am on time.

For year 2022 alone, close to 660,000 women around the world get this wahala, and about 350,000 die as a result. According to WHO, na the high rate for sub-Saharan Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia wey dey make we dey cry. HPV, wey na human papillomavirus, dey responsible for almost all cases of cervical cancer. This virus dey common like gari for body, but e dey show up when person get am through sexual contact.

But no be all hope dey lost; e dey preventable and curable! Vaccination for girl pikin between 9 and 14 years suppose be priority wey WHO don recommend. If we fit make sure sey dem dey screen women from 30 years (or 25 years for those wey get HIV), we go reduce deaths.

If dem diagnose you early, treatment no go hard like that! E get many people wey don survive cervical cancer, but di access to treatment no dey equal anywhere. People wey dey live for rural area or places wey dem no get enough hospitals dey face serious challenges. Na im make we no dey see correct number of women wey survive.

No forget say for 2020, 194 countries don join together to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, you hear? Dis plan dey for the day wey dem announce am, 17th November, and e dey call am World Cervical Cancer Day. Dem get targets to meet by 2030, and if dem fit do am, e go save 74 million new cases and prevent 62 million deaths by the year 2120. Na big target, my people!

So, make we shine our eyes and dey inform ourselves, because cervical cancer dey gree, but with the right knowledge and action, we fit push am aside!