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| Record attendance for conference on cancer in Africa
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Dar Es Salaa, Tanzania (PANA) -
A record number of over 700 global government an
d health leaders convene in Dar es Saalam,
Tanzania, this week, for the 3rd African Organization for Research and Training
in Cancer (AORTIC) meeting, in efforts to avert a
devastating health and economic toll from the disease on the continent.
Cancer is already poised to become the worldâ?s leading cause of death in 2010,
and it is now projected that cancer will account for
12 million annual deaths worldwide by 2030.
In Africa, where the disease is projected to grow at an alarming rate, more than
70 percent of cases are diagnosed when it is too late.
In 2002 alone, cancer claimed the lives of 412,000 people across the African con
tinent. This figure is expected to double by 2020.
Pain medicine and palliative care are rarely available in Africa for those who s
uffer from late stage cancers.
â?We have an opportunity this week to accelerate efforts to prevent the catastr
ophic impact of cancer in Africa if we turn prevention into practice,â?
said Dr. Twalib Ngoma, President of AORTIC. â?But these diseases must become a
priority on the health agenda of each African country
so that it receives immediate resources and attention.â?
In a region of the world most notably affected by HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other i
nfectious diseases, cancer is now emerging as a serious public health
threat.
To date, advocacy activities have received little support from many African gove
rnments, and cancer awareness, prevention, and treatment programmes
have suffered. Cervical cancer, which is easily prevented or treated, and has es
sentially been eradicated in Western nations, is the leading cancer
killer among African women.
Simultaneously, as African nations are facing the highest increase in the rate o
f tobacco use among all developing countries -- and the tobacco industry is
targeting new African markets -- the continent is not adequately resourced to a
ddress cancer and other chronic diseases.
â?Africaâ?s rising cancer burden is not a problem of Africa alone,â? said Oti
s W. Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society. â?For
the
first time in history, we have the tools in hand to prevent a pandemic. We must
stand together to place this disease higher on the global health agenda, designa
t
e
resources to fight it, and share evidenced-based practices to save lives.â?
In addition to the lack of adequate resources to fight cancer in Africa, health
leaders on the continent still battle a number of myths associated with the dise
a
ses.
Ahead of the AORTIC Cancer in Africa conference, the American Cancer Society spe
cifically convened a Media Summit of 24 journalists from eight African
nations. The journalists discussed these myths, as well as shared reporting meth
ods for overcoming the challenges covering the rising cancer and tobacco burden
i
n Africa.
Working with 35 representatives of African nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
convened by the Society in a pre-conference workshop, five particular cancer
myths were identified which contribute to the barriers in cancer awareness in Af
rica. According to the group, common myths include the following: Cancer is a de
a
th sentence;
Cancer is a disease of the rich; If a man touches a womanâ?s breast, she will g
et breast cancer; Breast removal as a treatment for cancer will result in death
;
and Some
cancers, such as prostate cancer, are caused by promiscuity.
Solutions to address these myths include strengthening relationships between jou
rnalists and NGOs so that journalists have access to scientifically credible, ac
c
urate, and
timely data, and also to humanize the stories on cancer and destigmatize the dis
ease by profiling survivors.
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| Dar Es Salaa - 12/11/2009 |
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