Need of Advocacy and awareness about cancer in Nepal

 Many people in Nepal are ignorant about cancer. This is because unlike infectious disease, chronic diseases like cancer comes under least priority area of governmental health policy in Nepal. Very few national programs are conducted to educate and aware people about cancer. Education program are conducted sporadically and only few people have access to such program.

In the recent time, Healthy Nepal Foundation (HNF), an organization dedicated to increase awareness about cancer has done some remarkable work to increase understanding of cancer to Nepalese population. Since 2012, HNF has developed several education modules to educate students and public about common cancer such as cervical, breast, oral and lung cancer in Nepal. With the help of volunteers from different colleges, this organization conducts program at colleges and sometime in the community. 

TUTH Nursing student Leraning about breact cancer condition in Nepal

Dr. kalyan sapkota addressing key points of breast cancer at NAMS to Nursing students

Volunteers is the main working pillars of HFN. “With the help of volunteers, we are able to conduct education programs at around twenty schools to date and our main goal is to educate student and the public about cancer and its prevention”, said Kiran Sapkota, co-founder of the organization. “We are dedicated to educate and inform public about risks of cancer and promote healthy life style to reduce cancer burden in the society”, Sapkota said.

Members of healthy Nepal foundation have conducted several education program at secondary schools, higher secondary colleges and universities around the nation. HN College Coordinator Mr. Sunil Pandey, who is also a student of Medical Microbiology at Nobel College, said “we have got very good response and appreciation from both teachers and guardians from respective schools where we conduct cancer education program”.  Mr. Pandey was so passionate to assist HNF that he allocate his tight time schedule out of his college to conduct programs around the nation. Mr. Pandey contact schools, recruit volunteers, communicate with teacher and conduct education awareness program at different schools around the country. “With the help of experts we were able to develop education material for only few cancers and we are still developing additional cancer programs in the future” said Pandey.

Healthy Nepal Foundation is operated by physicians, public health officials, and community and school volunteers. Till date it has conducted programs in Parwat, Myagdi, Baglung, Pokhara, Kathmandu, Chitwan and several other districts. “Our main aim is to make a disease free healthy society” said Dr. Kalyan Sapkota, another co-founder of the organization. Dr. Sapkota and his team have conducted cancer screening programs at several communities in Myagdi, Parwat and Baglung in the past.

Currently Healthy Nepal has concentrated more of its activities on educating students and public about cervical and breast cancer. “These two cancers are the significant cause of mortality and morbidity in women in Nepal” said Dr. Sapkota. With the available funding, Healthy Nepal Foundation had organized free Pap smear screening camp at different places in Nepal.  A pap test is the best way to detect cell changes that may be early sign of precancerous of the cervix.                        

Dr. Sapkota added that, Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. No one knows why some women get breast cancer, but there are a number of risk factors. “If we reduce these risk factors, we can minimize the number of cancer patients in Nepal’, said Dr. Sapkota.  Sharing his experience while conducting cervical cancer awareness program, Mr. Sunil Pandey said, we were so shocked to know that many students do not know much about common cancer, and many have misconception about it. After we conduct program, we do posttest and found that our program really changed how students perceive about cancer. Their knowledge remarkably changes just after an hour or two education session, added Mr. Pandey. Many women do not know about the screening test available to detect cancer at early age. This include Pap smear screening and self-breast examination in Nepal.

Mr. Sunil Panday said there are several opportunities available for youth to be involved in cancer education projects. He is recruiting many volunteers to initiate oral and lung cancer awareness in the near future. For more information or to get involved, email healthynepalfoundation@gmail.com, or visit the organization’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/healthynepal

Bacteria and hand-washing- Pragmatic to school children

Hand washing is thought to be effective for the prevention of transmission of

Diarrhea pathogens. However it is not conclusive that hand washing with soap is more

Effective at reducing contamination with bacteria associated with diarrhea than using

Water only.

How many times has someone told you: “Go wash your hands before dinner?”

Image: Shree Dharmodaya Lower secondary School Mirkot-5, Gorkha District

Why is hand washing important?

Some microorganism are beneficial to you and some are harmful. The most common microorganism is bacteria. Microorganisms can be transmitted from person to person in many ways.

Bacteria
are
a
diverse
group
of
microscopic,
single celled
organisms.
Viruses
are
microscopic
and
infect
cells
using
the
cells
as
hosts
for
reproduction.
Both
bacteria
and
viruses
can
cause
disease
in
humans.
However,
bacteria
and
viruses
exist
in
the
environment
all
around
us
and
most
do
not
harm
people. A
pandemic
is
an
outbreak
of
a
disease
around
the
world.
Scientists
and
health
professionals


are
concerned
about
the
possibility
of
an
H1N1
influenza
(flu)
pandemic.
When
a
flu
pandemic


happens,
people
may
have
little
or
no
immunity,
and
a
vaccine
may
not
exist
for
this
new
flu
virusThe
disease
then
spreads
easily
person‐to‐person
and
may
cause
serious
illness
across
the
country


and
around
the
world
very
quickly.

A
vaccine
is
currently
being
tested
for
the
H1N1
influenza.



According
to
the
Centers
for
Disease
Control
and
Prevention,
the
most
common
method


that
pathogens
are
spread
is
via
the
hands.
Therefore,
proper
hand
hygiene
helps
to
limit
the
spread
of
the
flu
and
other
infectious
diseases,
and
is
the
single
most
effective
way
to
prevent
the
spread
of
disease.
Hand
washing
reduces
diseases
that
are
spread
through
fecal–oral
or
hand‐to‐mouth
transmission,
direct
or
indirect
transmission(i.e.,
close
contact
by
sharing
personal
items),
and
respiratory
or
airborne
transmission
(i.e.,
coughing
or
sneezing).



Micro-organisms play an important role in all our lives and many are so small they can only be seen

under a microscope. Many micro-organisms are helpful to us whilst others can be harmful; micro-organisms that harm humans tend to be referred to as germs. These germs can be a bacteria, fungi and

virus.

Germs mainly enter the home on people, food, in contaminated water or via pets and pests. Once inside

the home they can be transferred from person to person or from the source to a person by direct contact,

or through indirect contact via a surface and back again. This latter process is often called cross-contamination.

Cross-contamination is one of the greatest causes of illness and disease in the world, where a greater

focus on the practice of improved and targeted hygiene measures in the home could lead to a reduction

in infectious diseases on a global scale. Improved home hygiene strategies include:

•  The need for home hygiene to receive the same scientific approach generally applied to hospitals

or food manufacturing

•  The recognition that good hygiene is not about trying to completely rid a home of germs, but

about effectively implementing good hygiene measures or practices and using them in the right

place at the right time

•  The distinction in people’s minds about the difference between removing dirt and hygienic

cleaning

Hand washing

Why is hand washing so important?

The hands are one of the greatest ways cross-contamination and cross-infection can occur in the home.

Hand washing is therefore the single most important thing you can do to help reduce the spread of

infections. Regularly washing your hands properly with antibacterial soap and warm water can help

protect you, your family, and others against the risk of infection. If antibacterial soap and warm water are

not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer should be used.

Why is surface cleaning so important?

Pathogenic micro-organisms and fungal spores entering the home can survive on surfaces for significant

periods of time and can be transferred to the hands when touched. Germs from hands can then be

transferred to other surfaces and other people, leading to infection. To break this chain of infection,

household surfaces should be cleaned thoroughly with an antibacterial cleanser or disinfectant on a

regular basis, reducing the risk of cross-contamination and lowering the risk of illness.

Why is food hygiene so important?

The micro-organisms that cause food-borne illness can be spread directly onto chopping boards, utensils,

work tops and other foods from raw meat and vegetables during food preparation. These micro-organisms can then spread to other surfaces around the home via your hands. Once one person is

infected with food-borne micro-organisms, it’s highly likely that they will pass this onto others in your

home and community, particularly if hygiene practice is poor. In order to prevent cross-contamination,

surfaces and utensils that are used to make and prepare raw food, particularly poultry and meat, should

be thoroughly cleaned with an antibacterial cleanser or disinfectant after each use.

Children Involving in Praggmatic Procedure of Handwashing

Fact about cancer screening

Cancer Screening
WHAT IS SCREENING?

The term screening refers to the regular use of certain examinations or tests in people who do not have any symptoms of cancer, but are at high risk for developing certain types of cancer. For many types of cancer, progress in the area of cancer screening has offered promise for earlier detection, which often results in higher cure rates.
WHO SHOULD UNDERGO SCREENING TESTS FOR CANCER?

Not everyone needs to undergo regular screening for cancer. There are many factors that determine who should be screened. Over the years, researchers have established risk factors for certain types of cancer. Risk factors are certain characteristics or exposures that make people more likely to develop a type of cancer than other people who do not have those risk factors. Risk factors are different for different types of cancer.
There are two types of risk factors: genetic factors and non-genetic (environmental) factors. A genetic factor is an inherited, unchangeable trait. A non-genetic factor is a variable in a person’s environment, which can often be changed. Non-genetic factors may include diet, exercise, or exposure to other substances present in our surroundings. These non-genetic factors are often referred to as environmental factors. Some non-genetic factors play a role in facilitating the process of healthy cells turning cancerous (i.e. the correlation between smoking and lung cancer), while other cancers have no known environmental correlation, but are known to have a genetic predisposition. A genetic predisposition means that a person may be at higher risk for a certain cancer if a family member has that type of cancer.
WHAT TYPES OF SCREENING TESTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR CANCER?

There are many different types of screening tests designed to detect different types of cancer. Depending on the risk factors that are present, patients at a high risk for a certain type of cancer may be required to undergo any one of a number of tests. Examples of screening tests include imaging tests, such as CT scans or mammography; blood tests; or even surgical biopsy procedures. Some screening tests are non-invasive, such as diagnostic imaging, while other screening tests are more invasive, such as blood tests or colonoscopies. Screening tests are designed specifically to screen for certain types of cancer. For example, women at a high risk of developing breast cancer may need to undergo frequent mammograms, whereas individuals at a high risk for colon cancer will need to undergo colonoscopies.
Another type of screening test is predictive genetic testing. Modern technology has enabled us to identify relationships between specific genetic mutations and some cancers. As we continue to learn more about genetic mutations and identify additional mutations, the role of genetic testing will continue to grow.
Predictive genetic testing is used to determine if an individual has a genetic mutation that may predispose him/her to developing cancer. An accurate test will reveal a genetic mutation, but cannot guarantee that a person will develop cancer. Likewise, a genetic test that does not find a specific mutation cannot guarantee that an individual will not develop cancer. These tests only suggest that a person may or may not be at some level of increased risk.