Source: Tanzania Daily News
WOMEN were on Wednesday advised to regularly check on their health as this will lead to early detection of diseases such as cervical cancer, breast cancer and any other kind of disease as the old saying goes: "Prevention is better than cure."

Speaking in Dar es Salaam the Managing Director of AAM International Reproductive and Child Health Clinic, Dr Ali Mzige, said that people should start cultivating the habit of thoroughly checking their health prior to getting ill.

"Most women die from cervical cancer which is not detected early. The disease can be cured if diagnosed in its early stage," said Dr Mzige.

He said that cervical cancer when detected at its last stages the possibility of curing the disease is minimal.

However, the cost of treatment for a woman with stage 2A of cervical cancer in Tanzania is about 15m/- for a single dose of treatment at Ocean Road Hospital, whereby it's required that one person is supposed to get 64 doses of the treatment which cost about 100m/- dollars.

Thus, the government provides the treatment for free at the unit. In order for women to find out if they are ill the only way is to do a check up with an expert at least three times in one year to avoid uncertainty.

"Women should remember that they should wait until they start seeing the symptoms but rather they should attend clinics dealing with cervical cancer so as to know their condition since finding early symptoms is easier to get treatment," he said.

In developed countries such as the United States of America, United Kingdom and other European countries they prevent the disease by giving out a vaccine called Human Pappiloma Virus Vaccine to girls with from the age of 9-13years. This is the group which has not associated with sexual intercourse.

In the initial programme in Mwanza, about 5,000 girls were vaccinated with the HPV vaccine via the National Institute for Medical research (NIMR).

• Tanzania