A community based organization Malindi Cancer Awareness Initiative has rolled out cancer awareness campaign to schools in Kilifi County branded “EAT HEALTH FOOD AND AVOID CANCER”
Then cancer campaign targets pupils and students in primary and secondary schools in the county who will be ambassadors to their parents and locals in their homes.
Malindi Cancer awareness program coordinator Mr. John Githinji said the outreach cancer awareness program is meant to ensure that young people understand what cancer is and how is it can be managed as well as preventive measures.
“This week we are starting outreach cancer awareness campaign in secondary and primary schools withing Kilifi county and our main target is students and pupils so that they can pass the information to their relatives in villages,” he noted.
Githinji added that the organization will be visiting two schools every week.
He said the organization during the campaign will be educating locals on the safe and cancer free food which will be carried in three phases.
“First phase is October month we will be showing breakfast that is cancer free which already we have obtained supplements from different food manufacturing factories from the country and outside,’ he noted.
Githinji said in the second phase which will be in November they will be sensitizing locals on launch which is free from cancer while December they will be training on supper cancer free food.
He stated that many diseases across the world of about 90 per cent are caused by lifestyles which if can be controlled cancer being one of the dangerous disease can be prevented.
The organization he said received about 100 patients every day for consultation in regards to Cancers disease with 10 to 15 out of the100 are found to be suffering from cancer disease.
"Those found with cancer after being tested in some hospital;ls which we partners like Star Hospital in Malindi they are then advised to start treatment,” he asserted.
However Githinji noted that they plan to extend their services from Kilifi County to Coast region and the country at large
The campaign takes places as Malindi Medical superintendent Doctor Morris Buni said that 60 per cent to patient suffering from cancer disease died last year in the hospital many of them being women.
Doctor Buni noted that 10 per cent of cancer patient in the hospital die every year adding that many other dies at home for lack of information as other attend medical attention to locals dispensaries without being diagnosed.
“There are different types of cancer which the district Hospital have been receiving with Cervical cancer being high followed by Breast cancer, prostrate cancer, Lungs cancer and then skin cancer,” he said.
The medical practitioner urged locals to attend cancer awareness programs which are undertaken in the hospital.
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