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Sibongile Maruta and Ropafadzo Ndangariro
In a bid to create awareness that cervical cancer is curable if detected early, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals is inviting women for free cervical cancer screening and treatment.

The exercise began on Wednesday and will run until the 27th of this month. The referral hospital is conducting the exercise in partnership with Hunan Provincial Maternal and Child Health Hospital from the People’s Republic of China.

In an interview with The Herald, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals gynaecologist Dr Ndabaningi Simango said free early cervical cancer screening and treatment was designed to create awareness that cervical cancer was curable.

“The awareness is about creating a culture that cervical cancer is curable. The most affected age group is 30 to 40,” he said. Dr Simango said up to 1 000 women between the ages of 25 to 65 have been invited for the exercise.

“There are no limitations, anyone can come, but those who live outside Harare are disadvantaged,” he said. Dr Simango said cervical cancer was often caused by a virus called Human Papillomavirus (HPV).

“Cervical cancer starts in the cells of the cervix, HPV is so common, any woman who has ever had any sexual contact with another person could get cervical cancer. The common advise I can give is abstinence, having protected sex and abstaining from having multiple partners,” he said.