Tema-Ghana, Feb. 13, CDA Consult – Dr. Mrs. Anita Owusu-Afriyie, a Medical Officer in the Oncology Unit of the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) has cautioned against multiple sexual partners as the practice is hazardous.
She cited that having sex with many different partners increases the chance of coming into contact with a person who is carrying Human papillomavirus (HPV), a cancer-causing viral.
“The virus that causes HPV infection is transmitted through skin-to-skin contact. Most people get a genital HPV infection through direct sexual contact, including vaginal, anal, and oral sex.
“Because HPV is a skin-to-skin infection, intercourse isn’t required for transmission to occur,” Dr. Mrs. Owusu-Afriyie, gave the advice during the launch of “Your Health! Our Concern!”, a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative.
“Your Health! Our Concern! is a public health advocacy platform initiated by the Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office to explore the parameters of the four approaches to health communication: informative, educating, persuasive, and prompting.
Speaking on the topic: “Some cancers and how to prevent them,” she said the risk of getting HPV increases along with the number of sexual partners a person has.
“If you got a positive HPV test and your Pap test was abnormal, your doctor will probably follow up with a colposcopy. Try to see a physician who specializes in this procedure.
“During a colposcopy, your doctor will look more closely at the cervix, vagina or vulva with a special microscope called a colposcope,” Dr. Mrs. Owusu-Afriyie encouraged people to undertake an HPV test and Pap test.
She advised people with a family history of cancer to undertake regular medical check-ups at least twice a year.
Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager noted that GNA- Your Health! Our Concern! seeks to set the medium for the propagation of health information to influence personal health choices by improving health literacy.
“Parents’ health should be the concern of their children and vice versa; employees’ health should be the concern of employers; and in general, Health professionals’ health should be the concern of the public, while the reverse should also hold,” Mr. Ameyibor explained.
He said, “we must all be concerned about the health of some other person in order to develop a healthy society”.
Mr. Ameyibor said GNA-Tema Regional Office has, therefore, created “Your Health! Our Concern” as a weekly health dialogue platform to serve as an effective communication channel for health professionals to educate the public on healthy practices and other general health challenges
He explained that most people out of ignorance contract certain sicknesses from the workplace or bad lifestyle which manifest most often in old age when the person is in retirement, “we all need health education to avoid these health pitfalls.
“Most people according to an optometrist develop Computer Vision Syndrome due to ignorance about the use of electronic devices and sometimes the wrongful positioning of the computers in the office set-ups, while others develop waist pains as a result of poor sitting and bad chairs”.
Mr. Ameyibor said others also develop a withdrawal syndrome due to being isolated and working alone for a long time, while midwives, especially develop waist and backbone pains most often after retirement due to the nature of their work.
