Windhoek
There is a correlation between reckless sexual behaviour and cancer, the Cancer Association of Namibia (CAN) says.
Skin cancer, primarily Kaposi’s sarcoma, remains one of the highest diagnosed forms of cancer in the country, while cancer of the cervix is hastening to overtake breast cancer as the number one form of cancer in the Namibian female population. Prostate cancer also remains a major problem among men.
CAN CEO Rolf Hansen said: “Sexual behaviour and lack of education when becoming sexually active remain the single biggest common denominator when comparing data on cancer diagnoses in Namibia.”
He added that a large proportion of the country’s resources have gone towards the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria control during the last 25 years. However, there is now a burden of non-communicable diseases such as cancer.
Dr Zainab Mohammed of the Radiotherapy Oncology Department at the Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town said: “While some people living with HIV/AIDS may get cancer in the future due to their prolonged survival age, recent research suggests that increasing cancer rates in Africa may be a direct result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. There has been an alarming increase in HIV/AIDS related cancers such as lymphoma and Kaposi’s sarcoma, while a large proportion of cervical cancer patients are HIV positive or test positive for other sexually transmitted diseases.”
Hansen further stressed that Namibians should take care of their health.”Ladies should have breast and cervical screenings conducted, while men should have prostate and testicular examinations conducted. HIV and STD screenings remain imperative,” said Hansen.
He also highlighted that the younger population of Namibia is sexually active and that children as young as 11 to 13 years are already sexually active.
“Sex education is a pivotal game changer in the fight against HIV infection. Subsequently, sexually-connected cancer forms can be addressed when communicated about effectively, considering that that up to 80 percent of cervical cancer cases can be prevented by the human papillomavirus vaccination and safe sexual conduct,” said Hansen.