Seven out of ten Brazilian women neglect the practices necessary to prevent cervical cancer. That’s what an unprecedented survey made by the Cancer Foundation, released this Thursday (3), coordinated by the International Union for Cancer Control (UICC) points out.
The disease is responsible for the death of more than six thousand women a year in Brazil. In the world, annually, there are 331 thousand victims. World Cancer Day is celebrated this Friday (4).
The foundation’s analysis shows that 45% of those interviewed in Brazil thought the test for the detection of HPV, the main cause of uterine cancer, was “unnecessary”. Another 15% say that they “were not guided” about the procedures, while 13% reported feeling ashamed to perform the exam. In all, 54,617 women were heard, between 14 and 83 years old.
“We work with three steps in relation to cancer preventive procedures. The first is knowledge. People need to know the treatments needed. Second, this population needs to understand that practices are important for health. Finally, women need to undergo the necessary tests”, said the doctor from the Cancer Foundation, Flávia de Miranda Correia, to the CNN.
Preventive exams against uterine cancer and vaccination against HPV are made available by the Unified Health System (SUS). Despite this, only 57% of Brazilian girls are fully immunized. For the executive director of the Cancer Foundation, Luiz Augusto Maltoni, the result is directly linked to misinformation.
“It is something unacceptable, since the vaccine and the preventive exam, which help to avoid the disease, are available free of charge in the SUS. This shows extreme and unfair inequality, which is linked to disinformation in the country. Our idea with this survey is to show that preventive policies can mitigate the scenario of illness and death, especially when there are already effective alternatives for prevention”, says Maltoni.
Source: CNN Brasil
