The Sunday News
Nozipho Rutsate, Sunday News Reporter
AS the threat of cancer continues to be a major health concern in the country, health organisations are working on attaching a cancer detection card to the baby vaccination cards as part of encouraging early detection.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care in partnership with Kidzcan and the United Nations International Children’s Educational Fund are embarking on a training programme on Early Detection and Awareness Campaign on Childhood Cancers (Retinoblastoma and Wilms Tumour).
The ministry is also working on adding a new section of cancer screening to the baby vaccination card and will announce the changes once the process is finished. In an interview with Sunday News, Kidzcan executive director, Mr Daniel McKenzie said national statistics of children affected by childhood cancers were high.
“There are over 3 000 cases of childhood cancers that have been attended to over the last 10 years and on an annual basis there are 350 new registrations as well as over 800 children receiving medication. Of the 800, more than 50 percent die due to abandonment of treatment and in most cases this is caused by lack of information about the cancers.
“The normally affected age group is between zero to three years so we want to use the opportunity to screen for any cancers when the babies are going for their routine check-ups at any local clinic or hospital,” he said.
Mr McKenzie said nurses and health promoters training programme started on 4 February in Harare and Chitungwiza.
“This is a massive campaign targeting every child in the home and next month we are going to Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces at the same time embarking on a multi-media cancer campaign.
“Kidzcan has also scheduled to open a new branch in Bulawayo very soon to increase the level of cancer awareness in the southern region of the country,” he said.
The ministry is also partnering with Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, Harare Children’s Hospital and Sekuru Kaguvi Hospital along with some of the medical teams to treat affected children.
Retinoblastoma is an eye cancer that begins in the back of the eye (retina) and it may occur in one or both eyes.
The general signs and symptoms include a white pupil that does not reflect (leukokoria), a pupil that appears white when light is shone into the eye, sometimes with flash photography.
Eyes may appear to be looking in different directions (squint) and or a red painful eye. In late symptoms, a bulging eye. Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation and laser therapy. Wilm’s Tumour also known as Nephroblastoma is a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children often between the ages of three and four.
It often occurs in one kidney, though it can sometimes be found in both kidneys at the same time. Over the years, advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of Wilms’ tumor have greatly improved the outlook (prognosis) for children with this disease.
@noerutsate
