Cancer: the silent Epidemic

__**According to the Cleveland clinic online page, Cancer is a disease that happens when normal cells become “cancerous “, multiply and spread. Scientists have determined that there are currently over 100 different types of cancer with a few to mention being sarcomas which affects the bones and soft tissues, carcinomas which lead to breast cancer, lung cancer, among the so many other types of cancer. This raises the question. Why has cancer become a prevalent cause of death in society? What are its causes and how can it be avoided?
According to an online survey, 24,629 people in Uganda died due to cancer in the year 2022, with 10,708 being male and 13,921 being female leading to a rough estimate of 67 deaths per day with a global number of cancer deaths being 9.8 million people in the year 2024. Scary numbers to say the least .
After looking at the numbers we now look at some of the causes. Cancer is caused due to changes in DNA within cells that causes them to grow and divide uncontrollably. These changes could happen due to inheritance with the percentage rate of getting cancer under this being 5-10%, living and environmental factors such as exposure to radiations, excessive tobacco smoking and exposure to chemicals, among others. We also look at age as being another cause of cancer whereas one gets older, the errors occur as the cells naturally divide thereby leading to formation of cancerous cells, although being to a smaller percentage.
Why then has it become common among the youth today ? This has been due to the living and environmental factors, simply put, their lifestyle. According to Dr. Teknos, there has been a 79% increase in cancer among people aged 18-49 years, over the last 30 years. Higher rate of obesity, processed food diets, excessive alcohol and tobacco consumption and exposure to viruses particularly HPV, have all played a role in increasing this percentage among the youths today.
What then must we do to fighter this silent killer? Major lifestyle changes, medical treatment for those already suffering from it, early diagnosis and support care through organizations like Palliative Care Uganda, were options suggested by Google as a way of trying to level the fighting ground when it comes to cancer.
Old or young, leader or not, Christian or Muslim, we are all susceptible to cancer.
Let us help one another by raising awareness, seeking treatment where need be and supporting those we might know that are silently battling this disease silently.
There is a saying that goes “ prevention is better than cure “. So let us take the necessary steps and initiatives to prevent the earlier mentioned percentage from increasing, let us support one another and above all else, let us pray to God, for ourselves, for those battling the disease and for those that have had their lives cut short due to cancer.
I thank you all for taking your time to read this take and it is my humble prayer that God may preserve each and every single one of you.
For God and my Country.
Kwamungu Na Nchi Yangu **********____