KANSAS CITY, Mo. - For years the health community in Africa has focused on attacking communicable diseases like AIDS and tuberculosis for good reason. In 2008, 2 million people died of AIDS in Africa. But in that same year, 50,000 women died in Africa of breast cancer. So healthcare providers are increasing efforts to promote breast cancer awareness. During our breast cancer seminars in Ethiopia and Kenya, my husband, Ed, and I discovered the progress is slow, but women are getting the message.
We met with Dr. Alice Musibi, a medical oncologist at her clinic in Nairobi, Kenya.
"Awareness, awareness, awareness. That's what we need," said Musibi. "Women need to first know what breast cancer is and then know where to go for help, and then we also need the financial resources to be able to help treat those women."
Breast cancer awareness campaigns are ongoing in major cities in Kenya. However, millions of poor women in rural areas are not exposed to that message. Musibi has started a foundation to help women in rural communities get the message and get treatment for breast cancer.
"Many women are poor and cannot afford to travel to the city for medical care," she said. "So, we need to go to their rural communities with information, doctors and equipment so care is accessible for them."
"Progress is happening and one day we will wake up and find that everyone is talking about breast cancer," Musibi concluded.
No comments:
Post a Comment