Let’s pass the word around to help protect women from this deadly cancer. Visit: www.pocc.sg
It pains me to think that in a developed country like Singapore, women are still dying from this very preventable cancer.
It is cervical cancer which claims the life of one woman every five days in Singapore.
Doctors describe this cancer as the “Cancer of Neglect” because women keeping putting their children and family needs before their own well being. As a result, they delay going for their regular women’s health check.
And contrary to what people think, it is not a cancer that claims the lives of only promiscuous women. In fact, doctors say ALL women are at risk once they have begun sexual activity. And even after they have stopped it.
In the course of my work as a public relations consultant helping to disseminate public education messaging on this cancer, I met housewife Siti Fatimah who married her first love at the age of 17. She has four children aged from 10 to 18. Unfortunately for her, she was diagnosed with second stage cervical cancer while pregnant with her fourth child. She heard about her pregnancy at the same time that she was diagnosed with the cancer. It has been a day she has since not forgotten. Today she is fighting for her life.
In a parliamentary response to MP Zaqy Mohamed last year, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that the risk of sexually transmitted diseases is growing exponentially showing that more young women than men are coming down with sexually transmitted Infections. This has been happening since 2003. Such increases the risk of girls and women to also cervical cancer that is transmitted skin to skin through sexual intimacy by the Human Papiloma Virus.
To inform and educate women to protect themselves from cervical cancer, a coalition was formed. It was led by the Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (SCCPS), and was launched in July by MP Halimah Yacob of Jurong GRC. Called Power Over Cervical Cancer (POCC), the Coalition seeks to get 18,000 women island wide to take the POCC online risk test. In doing this, they will get to learn more about the disease burden of cervical cancer and how to easily protect themselves from this most preventable of cancers. Have you heard of a cancer that you can vaccinate away Or if you detect it early at its precancerous stage, you can safely be cleared of it and save your life! It is cervical cancer that is the most easily preventable. Unfortunately only 60 percent of women here go for regular pap smear screenings.
Pledging their support for the newly-formed POCC coalition were entertainers and theatre world stars Irene Ang, Beatrice Chia, Neo Swee Lin, Rosalyn Lee, Tan Kheng Hua and Kay/Kai Ying from 88.3FM. This movement also attracted my friends and youth leaders from the Lam Soon CC who are doing their bit to protect women from this deadly cancer by raising their awareness of this cancer and how to prevent it.
Vaccination to prevent cervical cancer and pap smear screening to detect it early at even the pre cancerous stage will go a long way to saving the lives of women we love.
Whether they are our moms, sisters, grandmothers, best girlfriends or daughters. Surely because we care for each of them, should it not become our mission to pass on the word to women who have touched our lives to please go today and now, to take the cervical cancer online risk test at http://www.pocc.sg
Play YOUR part in supporting the POCC Coalition: Take your Risk Test today! Link : www.pocc.sg
Hamidah Aidillah
