Ripoti za wataalamu wa afya nchini zinaonyesha kwamba wanaume wengi hawana habari
kwamba ugonjwa wa saratani ya matiti unaweza kuwaathiri. Ni wazi kwamba wanaume wengi
hufikiri ugonjwa huo unawaathiri wanawake pekee na hivyo hawaoni umuhimu wa kuenda
kuchunguza.
“So this is October, the breast cancer awareness month, and unfortunately a lot of people think
that it is only women who needs to go for screening, but we are here to encourage our men to go
also for the breast cancer screening because it is also affecting our men and it spreads faster in
men…”
“Kwa hiyo hii ni Oktoba, mwezi wa uhamasishaji wa saratani ya matiti, na ni wazi kwamba watu
wengi wanafikiri ni wanawake tu ambao wanahitaji kwenda kufanyiwa uchunguzi, lakini tuko
hapa kuwahamasisha wanaume wetu kwenda pia kwa uchunguzi wa saratani ya matiti kwa
sababu pia inaathiri wanaume wetu na inaenea kwa kasi kwa wanaume…”
Ugonjwa wa saratani kwa ujumla ni ugonjwa hatari na ni wajibu wako, uwe mwanamke au
mwanaume uende kupimwa au kuchunguzwa. Kuna vituo vingi nchini vinavyoweza kupima.
Hivyo basi mtu anaweza akatembelea kitu kilicho karibu. Kupima mapema kunaweza kusaidia
sana.
Ripoti pia zinaonyesha kwamba takriban wanawake elfu tatu hupoteza maisha yao kila siku
kuhusiana na saratani ya matiti. Hii ni ripoti za wataalamu wa afya. Hii ni kumaanisha kwamba
saratani ya matiti ni hatari sana.
“Approximately we lose 3000 women per day to breast cancer, so it is a worrying situation, and
so resources and any efforts need to be focused…”
“Takriban tunapoteza wanawake 3000 kwa siku kwa saratani ya matiti, hivyo ni hali ya kutia
wasiwasi, na hivyo rasilimali na juhudi zozote zinahitaji kuzingatiwa…”
Kulingana na Daktari Dennis Amanya, ambaye ni mtaalamu wa saratani anasisitiza umuhimu wa
kuendeleza uchunguzi wa waliopona saratani ya matiti. Anaeleza kwamba saratani ya matiti
inaweza ikarejea tena hasa kama ilikuwa kwenye titi moja, inaweza ikaja tena kwenye titi la pili.
“Chances of recurring of breast cancer are very high. That means if there was cancer in this
breast, and the other breast didn’t have cancer, now the chances are as high as fifty percent for
the cancer to develop again in the other breast. Now that will be a development of a new cancer.”
Dr. Amanya
“Uwezekano wa kujirudia kwa saratani ya matiti ni mkubwa sana. Hiyo inamaanisha kama
kulikuwa na saratani katika titi hili, na titi lingine halikuwa na saratani, sasa uwezekano ni
mkubwa kama asilimia hamsini kwa saratani kukua tena kwenye titi lingine. Sasa hiyo itakuwa
maendeleo ya saratani mpya.” Dr. Amanya
Inasemekana kwamba Kenya imewekeza vyema katika mashine za uchunguzi na matibabu ya
saratani na kuwasaidia madaktari kugundua hali mapema. Hii ni habari njema kwani waathiriwa
wa saratani wanaweza wakapata usaidizi kwa haraka.
Na Calvin Angatia
