adminOCTOBER is, indeed, a special month on the World Health Organisation (WHO) calendar.
It’s usually an eventful period where campaigns against breast cancer are conducted globally.
Celebrities, policy makers and health practitioners are known for taking leading roles during such campaigns.
Breast cancer has been claiming lives at an alarming rate, yet some people take it lightly.
And, being one of the most killer diseases in the world, all stakeholders should combine forces to detect the monster earlier.
However, there are genuine fears that the ordinary man doesn’t take these campaigns seriously.
To them, it has become a normal sermon where policy makers, and health practitioners, will be preaching the same gospel they are used to hearing.
In Zimbabwe, men have been known for taking a back seat, once such campaigns are rolled out.
With men constituting one percent of the victims, calls have been made that they need to get screened as well.
By getting screened, men will pass the message to their spouses to ensure that we save lives.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services joined the world in raising awareness against breast cancer.
The Ministry outlined the important role the media should play in this fight.
Minister Monica Mutsvangwa, Deputy Minister Kindness Paradza and Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana attended the event.
It’s important for all of us to avoid risky behaviour, which makes one prone to diseases.
It’s also very important that we need to be on the watch out against such risks like excessive alcohol intake and smoking, as well as monitoring their diet.
A healthy diet is also important in the fight against breast cancer, among other ailments.
We should raise breast cancer awareness beyond the month of October.
This campaign should be carried out throughout the year to ensure we save as many lives as we can.
Health experts have noted that it is high time we embrace clinical and self-testing methods, for breast cancer, in getting an early diagnosis.
As the media, our role has always been clear that we should always educate people of the ways we can confront and combat the spread of breast cancer.
Like we did, with Covid-19, where most journalists were also screened, and we are at the forefront of advising the nation of the dangers of the pandemic, we should all play the same role in efforts to deal with the threat of breast cancer.
We need to step up such campaigns and demystify some of the myths and ensure that people are well informed.
Of course, there are many of those, who are slow learners, but we can’t stop raising awareness and, where our message has not been heard, we need to amplify it.
In this country, men have not been forthcoming, when it comes to raising awareness, against the spread of breast cancer.
A change of mindset is needed and we should all cooperate in this fight.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter