Nigeria records highest cancer cases in Africa – WHO
An NGO, Civil Society for Cancer Eradication in Nigeria (CiSCANEN) has said the prevalence of cancer has remained on the increase in Nigeria with about 102,000 deaths and 250,000 new cases annually making the country highest cancer carrier in Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) report.
The National coordinator of the group, Elijah H O Elijah, made this assertion in Abuja over the weekend at the maiden edition of the International CSOs conference.
He said that the “prevalence of cancer in Nigeria has remained on the increase and has continued to undermine the development of our dear country.
“According to WHO, Nigeria with about 102,000 cancer deaths and reported 250, 000 new cases occurring annually in the country, shoulders the heaviest Cancer burden in the continent of Africa”.
According to Elijah, current statistics has it that about 30 women die every day of breast Cancer while at least one die on daily bases of cervical cancer adding that men are not equally spared from this menace as almost 14 men die daily of prostate cancer.
“Interestingly, these cases are preventable and curable if detected early; worldwide, cancer is reputed to kill more people than the Human Immune Virus ( Hiv/Aids), Tuberculosis and Malaria”, he said.
Elijah opined that CiSCANEEN with other stake holders is determined to deliver Nigeria in the global fight against Cancer saying, “Embedded in its vision, a Nigeria society that is free from Cancer and its attendant Social and Economic effects”.
“Realizing that cancer program is dynamic and winning the fight requires concerted efforts of strategic stakeholders, the group is determined to build strong and effective partnership and collaborate with key stakeholders including states and non-states actors in order to collectively implement key programs of nailing the deadly scourge.
“It is with this in mind that the group conceived and initiated Partnership Development Forum and with International CSOs Cancer Conference (ICCC) as its first product”, he added.
The Speaker Plateau State House of Assembly, Ambassador Peter Ajang Azi one of the major stakeholders in his contribution said, “This conference is timely for the case of alarming rate of cancer in the country. I challenge the Civil Societies to collaborate with Government at all level to fight out Cancer in Nigeria. We in the Plateau State House of Assembly are enacting the Law to eradicate Cancer and we want the National Assembly to do same”, he added.
