A non-profit organisation, Equitable Medicaid and Clinical Research on Thursday in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, held an exercise to mark the World Bladder Cancer Day, aimed at improving bladder cancer awareness, a worrying trend amongst many Nigerians.
According to the organisers, Bladder Cancer Awareness Month in May, annually, marks a renewed commitment to raising awareness, breaking barriers, and supporting communities globally.
The organisers say one of the major obstacles to bladder cancer diagnosis is symptom recognition. Symptoms such as blood in the urine, painful urination, or irregular urination are often mistaken for other conditions, leading to delayed diagnoses.
Dr. Ruth Faseema, a public health practitioner encouraged a lifestyle of constant drinking of water, detoxifying the body and avoid the intake of cafinated drinks.
“In that way, we are ensuring that we are keeping our bladder healthy”, she said.She also advised against self medication when experiencing symptoms of bladder infection and must visit the hospital whenever the need arises.
CSP Dr. Iyiola Adetubosun, a Medical Officer working with the Nigerian Police Force said emphasised on the importance of sensitisation and raising awareness on bladder cancer, revealing that “cancer is a burden to Nigeria and anything that will improve our knowledge and spread the awareness to the Nigerian police force and the general public will be enhanced”.
“Bladder cancer can be symptom-less, that’s why it’s good we always go for test. The early symptoms are excessive urination, pain while urinating, and not mistaking it for Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). It could be little as low abdominal pains, discomfort, do not take it lightly. It could result to a bigger danger”, the police officer added.
CSF Taiwo from Nigeria’s Fire service said more awareness on bladder cancer need to be created to aid those, especially fire service officers who might have developed health issues due to trauma and attack from fire scenes.
“Many officers today go after self medication, but when they get this type of awareness, it will help a lot because our work has to do with safety. Our men go on fire rescue missions and some come back depressed or traumatized, as a result of some of the harm or hazards they saw while on duty”, the Control Room Officer said.
This year’s campaign focuses on challenging uncertainty, encouraging people to take symptoms seriously and seek medical advice without delay.