daniel chigunwe
Talent Gore
SEPTEMBER is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and experts have called for more awareness programmes even after the month has passed.
A paediatric haemato-oncologist at Parirenyatwa Hospital Dr Patience Kuona, said cancer in children is often not understood.
“We all know about cancer in adults but the mechanism of cancer in children is different from adults,” she said.
“Adult cancers are to do with the body which is aging and our repair mechanisms are no longer working efficiently so we start getting cancers.
“In children it is different, it is not about infection neither is it really about the environment, the majority of childhood cancers are to do with the genetic make-up.
“They have young cells, good repair mechanisms but genetic disorders that then predispose them to cancer. Some children are born with conditions that predispose them to cancer.”
Dr Kuona said education plays a vital role in the fight against childhood cancers.
“It is important to educate parents, communities as well as healthcare workers to ensure that the signs of childhood cancer are better understood and recognised,” she said.
“Initiatives that promote routine check-ups and discussions about the health of children can help catch these diseases at an earlier, more treatable stage.”
KidzCan health and awareness coordinator, Charity Kawadza. said:
“Cancer is not like other diseases that can be cured, say a month after taking medication, as a patient is declared cancer-free five years after taking their last medication,” she said.
“Depending on the type of cancer that a patient was diagnosed with one can take their medication for up to three years so that’s why the number of children under our care is so high because we have a lot of services to offer them such as counselling before they can be declared cancer free.
“Sometimes it’s all about putting a smile on a child’s face by buying them their favourite book, a gift on their birthday or taking them to their favourite park.
“It’s the small things that matter to a child that spends days or months on end in a hospital bed.”
KidzCan supports over 700 children, both cancer patients and survivors, in four hospitals in Zimbabwe – Parirenyatwa, Sekuru Kaguvi, Sally Mugabe and Mpilo.
The children range from 0 to 18 and the organisation provides them with medication, counselling, education, and other services.
Online Reporter