Cervical
cancer is one of the commonest cancers and the second leading cause of death in
women recently.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2014 report,
new cases of cervical cancer will double before the end of 2017 if something
urgent is not done to curtail it.
The cervix is the lower part of the uterus (womb)
in the human female reproductive system. The cancer starts with disorders
abnormal growth of the cells of the cervix. These abnormal cells then turn into
cancer and the change normally takes between 10 and 15 years.
The
main cause of cervical cancer is persistent infection with genital Human
Papillomavirus (HPV). Genital HPV is a virus that is spread by sexual intercourse.
There are many different types of HPV –up to 150. The more sexual intercourse
one has, the chances of one being exposed to this dreaded disease.
Please
note that HPV is not a sign of unfaithfulness. You may have had HPV for many
years before it shows up. Anyone who has ever had sex is at risk of acquiring
HPV.
Also,
women who had transplanted organs, women on steroid medications and on
chemotherapy are also at risk of cervical cancer.
Solution:
To
prevent cervical cancer, it is important for women to limit the number of sex
partners they have. Staying with one faithful sex partner is the ideal way to
prevent it.
Keeping
a healthy diet and lifestyle is important.
Mothers
should also ensure that their girl child is vaccinated with HPV vaccine from
age 9 years.
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