Breast cancer awareness: Not just in October It is saddening that “Pink for Cure” euphoria” is presenting the increasing commercialisation of the disease, at a time when there should be nationwide breast cancer awareness campaigns
It is saddening that “Pink for Cure” euphoria” is presenting the increasing commercialisation of the disease, at a time when there should be nationwide breast cancer awareness campaigns

It is saddening that “Pink for Cure” euphoria” is presenting the increasing commercialisation of the disease, at a time when there should be nationwide breast cancer awareness campaigns

Ruth Butaumocho Gender Forum

According to research conducted, one in eight women is likely to develop breast cancer, while one in 1 000 is likely to suffer a similar fate, clearly indicating that breast cancer has got the face of a woman

A colleague was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. She has been through regimental treatment in recent months, as her condition continues to deteriorate.
She says every ache or pain scares her a little bit.

She knows the disease is progressing. She has aggressively sought treatment for advanced breast cancer and is trying every drug within her reach to reduce the pain.
Worry is simply part of her life equation, she says.

Although her family and health institutions have tried to provide her with palliative care to manage her condition, her battle is far from over.
She is among thousands of women across Zimbabwe and the region who are battling with breast cancer, and has to rely on family and friends for both moral and financial support.
Last week, Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in Commemorating October Breast Cancer awareness month.

The Breast Cancer Awareness month is marked in countries across the world every October to increase attention and support for the awareness, early detection and treatment as well as palliative care for the disease.

This annual commemoration comes against a background of series of UN-based commemorations for pandemic such as epilepsy, tuberculosis, HIV and Aids, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases.

Without trivialising any of the pandemics that are commemorated throughout the year, breast cancer awareness has suddenly become cause for concern among countries after it emerged that the disease is now killing over half a million women across the globe every year.

According to research conducted, one in eight women is likely to develop breast cancer, while one in 1 000 is likely to suffer a similar fate, clearly indicating that breast cancer has got the face of a woman.

Research also shows that breast cancer is the most common cancer in women both in the developed and less developed world.
According to WHO, Global Health Estimates (2013), it is estimated that worldwide over 508 000 women died in 2011, due to breast cancer.

Although breast cancer is thought to be a disease of the developed world, almost 50 percent of breast cancer cases and 58 percent of deaths occur in less developed countries due to various reasons such as diet, and the effects of the climate, although there is no sufficient knowledge on the real cause of the disease.

The shocking facts of breast cancer and how it is decimating the female population across the globe has in the last 10 years created a hype around the disease, something that was not possible in the early 1990s when the condition grew to unimaginable levels.

The problem continues to grow such that countries such as Peru, India and Malaysia are carrying out awareness campaigns throughout the year, rather than wait for October.
Although there are no latest statistics on the number of people who have succumbed to breast cancer in Zimbabwe, hundreds of women are battling with the disease across the country, against a backdrop of limited information on palliative care needed for victims.

The nation cannot continue to pay lip service to the problem, but must dedicate effort, resources and commitment towards the eradication of the disease.
If anything, the breast cancer awareness campaign should not just be a month-long event, but should be an everyday advocacy, where information should cascade right through all communication channels, rather than confine it to antenatal clinics and other health service providers for women, as currently is the case.

It is worth mentioning that various arms of the country’s health sector, the corporate world and several individuals right across are buying into the idea of increasing awareness around breast cancer, by coming up with a number of initiatives.

One such initiative that has created the hype around breast cancer awareness is the “Pink Ribbon” campaign.
The proliferation of the pink ribbon can be explained, in part, by its power as a marketing tool.

Because the colour pink is considered feminine in western countries, the ribbon has come to be a symbol and a proxy of goodwill towards women in general.
Buying, wearing, displaying, and sponsoring pink ribbons can signal that a person or business cares about women.

Going around the central business district over the weekend, I noticed that a number of well known retail shops, pharmacies and restaurants have already rebranded certain commodities, particularly cosmetics and toiletries with pink, the colour for the “October breast Cancer” awareness in anticipation of a boom in business.

It is saddening that “Pink for Cure” euphoria” is presenting the increasing commercialisation of the disease, at a time when everyone’s efforts should be on how best breast cancer campaigns should be handled across all sectors in Zimbabwe.

The patients themselves are also getting tired of having the colour pink thrown in their faces as a symbol of disease.
All this effort might be palatable if it was translating into a growing awareness on the dangers of the diseases and what can be done to curb the disease, and offer palliative care to cancer patients.

Simply put it, there is a lot of money to be made from capitalisation of the disease, as morbid as it may sound to some.
The same effects could be achieved if corporate organisations, individuals and civic organisations could invest time and effort in giving out information on the disease, creating awareness and promoting healthy eating and living habits for women and men as part of the big strategy of curbing breast cancer in Zimbabwe and the region.

In other countries, other Pink October promotions encourage women to decorate bras, hang them across bridges or dress up their breast.
And it becomes problematic that the awareness turns into one about saving some anatomy of the body instead of saving lives, while ignoring the severity of the disease.

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