Daily Trust, Tuesday, FEBRUARY 9 , 2010, Page 6

By Ruby Rabiu

The saying, Prevention is better than cure is an old truth. A truth said heard so often that it has become a worn cliché. But doesn’t help? Rarely. No one appears to pay any attention to it. This could be why IHVN brought it to the front burner in line with the theme of this year’s version of World Cancer Day.

Last Thursday, Official of Institutes of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) met with media representatives in Abuja. The main message the officials preached ran along this line: Prevention, especially in reference to cancer, is better than cure.

Thursday, February 4 was the day on which the institute joined the rest of the world to mark the 2010 World Cancer Day on the theme Cancer can be prevented too, the idea being to raise awareness on the possibilities that, with the right attitudes, cancer-related infections are easily prevented as other afflictions.

Dr. Patrick Dakum, the Chief of Party& Project Director of the Institute who said the Institute is working at expanding prevention and treatment of cancer in the country maintained that conscious efforts of individuals at regular self-examination tailored at being familiar with one’s body is a cost free culture that helps keep cancer away.

Dakum mentioned safe sex as a vital way to prevent cancer. Cancer is linked to AIDS in instances where AIDS – causing human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) breaks down the immunity and renders it unable to fight off viruses, including the viruses that cause the different cancers that afflict different parts of the body.

Dr. Dakum stated, “As part of the observation for World Cancer Day, we continue to urge people to stay safe by practicing safe sex so as to prevent HIV and so reduce cancers”

The International Union Against Cancer (UICC) initiated the World Cancer Campaign in 2005 in response to the Charter of Paris of 2000 which chose 4^th February of every year as World Cancer Day. Since 2006, the Union has coordinated World Cancer Day activities, supported by related bodies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The highlight of the IHVN event in Abuja included a review of the fight against cancer in Nigeria by Dr. William Blattner, a specialist described by IHVN as being “involved in developing Nigeria’s capacity to implement the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in the country.” The US-based Blattner participated in the event through video conferencing. He said treatment of cancer remained costly and that, especially in Nigeria which lacks the infrastructure that help health care services, prevention and early detection of cancer remain the only cheap way to tackle the disease.