‘March for Mother’ on Sunday to raise awareness of cervical cancer

Campaigners will march from Shahbagh to Mirpur in Dhaka on Sunday to raise awareness regarding cervical cancer, a common cancer among women.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 1 Jan 2016, 06:33 PM
Updated : 1 Jan 2016, 06:33 PM

The participants will distribute awareness leaflets and hold roadside rallies during the march, styled ‘March for Mother’.
 
Different types of campaigns will be carried out in other divisional headquarters throughout January.
 
The period of the campaign is being called the cervical cancer awareness month.
 
The Centre for Cancer Prevention and Research (CCPR), a non-government organisation, made this announcement at a roundtable conference on Friday, the first day of the campaign.
 
Bangladesh does not have a national survey on cancer.
 
The national institute receives a number of cervical cancer patients that, among women patients, is lower only than that of breast cancer patients.
 
Doctors say no woman should die of cervical cancer as it can be treated and cured if detected early enough.
 
Cervical cancer is mostly caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), which can be detected by screening. Vaccines are also available to protect against HPV types.
 
Cancer epidemiologist Dr Md Habibullah Talukder said abnormal vaginal bleeding such as between menstrual periods, after sex, or after menopause, pain during sex and a significant unexplained change in the menstrual cycle are some of the symptoms of cervical cancer.
 
He warned against early marriage and against bearing children frequently
 
Maintaining personal hygiene is also important, he said.