Cancer affects more women, needs awareness

CANCER has been affecting more women in Papua New Guinea and and people need to be made more aware of it, an official says.
Morobe health programme adviser Micah Yawing said people were being exposed to all kinds of food from factories which affected their health.
“Women must eat the healthy and natural food that we have from the gardens, and not from the food bar and shops. Cancer is becoming one of the common diseases. It can be prevented through screening and checkups,” he said.
“Some viruses such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer can be prevented through vaccines such as the HPV vaccine.”
The first signs of cervical cancer are the unusual and abnormal vaginal discharges, heavier and longer menstrual cycle, and pain during intercourse.
The HPV is found in men and is transmitted to women through sexual contact.
Early sexual contact and having many sexual partners put women at higher risk.
President of the Lae Huon Gulf Rotary Gavin Whyte said girls between nine and 14 were vaccinated before they began relationship with men.
“If we vaccinate them before they get older, we can prevent them from contracting the virus from men, because men have HPV. The complete vaccination is in two phases, the first, and the second after six months,” he said. “For older women, regular pap smear tests are very important, because the doctors can find out the cancer at the early stage.”