In furtherance of her pledge to prioritise the welfare and well-being of esteemed members of DEPOWA with a proactive approach and impactful initiatives, the President of the Defence and Police Officers’ Wives Association, Mrs. Oghogho Gwabin Musa has sensitised over 200 Adolescent girls from tri-service schools on Human Papilloma Virus Infection and its Vaccine, to prevent young generation from Cervical Cancer, as prevention is better than cure.
The sensitization program took place today, Thursday, 19 October 2023 at the DEPOWA Multi-purpose Hall Mogadishu Cantonment Asokoro Abuja.
According to Mrs Musa, the goal of the 3-day Medical Outreach to Mark the Cancer Awareness Month is to reach out, create awareness, sensitize children on the common health conditions and preventive measures., having screened and provided free cervical cancer screening and Blood pressure check for over 200 wives of our non-commissioned officers on Wednesday 18th, October, 2023.
"This is because Nigeria has one of the highest death rates among women and children hence my passion towards providing you with adequate information that you need to prevent or fight this scourge.
"Today, we are focusing specifically on the importance of your students getting involved in cancer awareness. It may seem like an issue that is too complex or mature for you to understand, but there is vital information that you need to equip yourself with to get ahead so as not to fall victim to this disease," she said
Mrs Musa noted that October is cancer awareness month and this is important because breast cancer is the second commonest cancer in the world while cervical cancer is the 4th most frequent cancer in women.
She stressed that these two conditions have taken a lot of lives of women but there are positive stories of survivors which informed 3-day medical outreach, to Create awareness on breast and cervical cancers and their prevention, to Teach the girl-child how to examine her breasts at home to detect lumps early because early detection saves lives.
Mrs Musa added that during the 3-day medical outreach, the DEPOWA will reach out to Orphans and vulnerable children including children of fallen heroes to encourage them on healthy practices, deworm them, provide medical services and support them with school supplies.
She revealed that the program will round up with free medical check-ups for DEPOWA members and a road march/aerobics exercise to encourage women to be physically active and take care of their health so they can continue to take care of the home front, their husbands and the children.
In her lecture, titled MENSTRUAL/PERSONAL HYGIENE AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS, Miss Nedozi Ogugua Iruoghene said the HPV Vaccine protects against HPV infection and protects humans from developing HPV cancers. She said WHO recommends: A one or two-dose schedule for girls aged 9-14 years, a one or two-dose schedule for girls and women aged 15-20 years, and Two doses with a 6-month interval for women older than 21 years.
"HPV is the name of a group of viruses that cause infection on the surface of the skin. These infections may result in cancer. Early Sexual Activity is a major risk factor for sexually transmitted infections like the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.
The highlight of the event was a lecture on the HPV Vaccine, approved by the federal government, and scheduled to take place on 24th October, 2023, presentation of a short drama on cancer awareness by DEPOWA school Children and a presentation of copies of menstruation pads and toiletries to participants.
