Currently, Ghana records more than 3,000 cervical cancer cases annually with more than half of those diagnosed not surviving due to late presentation.
Cervical cancer is a type of cancer that occurs in the cells of the cervix — the lower part of the uterus that connects to the vagina.
According to Dr Kwaku Asah-Opoku, Consultant obstetrician gynecologist at the KBTH Reproductive Health Centre, 3052 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and 1,556 die from the disease annually meaning that every five hours, a woman dies from cervical cancer in Ghana.
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He made these remarks during this year’s women’s health conference in Accra held on the theme: Early Detection Saves Lives; Our Responsibility.
Dr Asah – Opoku stated that by 2025, there will be approximately 5,007 new cases of cervical cancer and 3,361 deaths due to cervical cancer annually in Ghana.
On her part, Madam Rose Eduful, Principal Nursing Officer, Korle-Bu Reproductive Health Centre indicated that, the human papilloma virus{HPV} which causes cervical cancer is acquired through skin to skin contact with someone who has the virus during sexual intercourse.
According to madam Eduful, once infected, the virus can stay in the host for about 10 to 15 years before symptoms starts to show. Symptoms include offensive discharge from the vagina, blood flow after normal menstrual period, during or after sexual intercourse and women in their menopausal age who bleed, prolonged back pains, loss of weight among others.
She further stated that, after three years of sexual exposure, every woman should have a cervical cancer test while teenagers from nine to 14 years who have not initiated sex should be given the vaccine to prevent them from getting the HPV infection.
