Efforts Being Made To Create Breast Cancer Awareness: Samina Alvi

First Lady Samina Arif Alvi has said that for the last two years all possible efforts are being made to create the maximum awareness about breast cancer as thousands of women die every year due to it

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2020 ) :First Lady Samina Arif Alvi has said that for the last two years all possible efforts are being made to create the maximum awareness about breast cancer as thousands of women die every year due to it.

She said this while addressing digital media event on Breast Cancer Awareness organized by BIMA Pakistan at a local hotel on Wednesday.

She said that doctors, philanthropists, civil society, military institutions, hospitals, schools, universities and NGOs had joined the drive for creating the maximum awareness about breast cancer.

She also appreciated the response of the media and said that newspapers and social media were also playing a significant role.

She said that news items and articles had been published not only in national but in local newspapers which was a proof that awareness campaign on breast cancer had gained momentum.

Samina Arif Alvi urged the media to keep creating awareness regarding the disease throughout the year.

The first lady said that outreach of digital media was increasing day by day and with the help of digital media awareness message could be disseminated at a large scale.

She said: " Breast cancer is a serious issue for developed and developing countries, adding that globally every year over 1.3 million patients are diagnosed with breast cancer." She said in Pakistan exact number of patients diagnosed with the disease was not available, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) report for the year 2018, some 34,000 women diagnosed with the disease every year and above 17,000 women died from it.

According to other estimate 90,000 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year whereas 40,000 died from this fatal disease, she added.

She said: "Globally breast cancer mortality rate is around 3 to 4 per cent whereas in Paksitan it is almost 45 per cent which is indeed an alarming situation." The first lady said that lack of awareness was one of the major factors behind the high mortality rate of breast cancer, adding that in rural areas talking about this disease was considered as taboo.

Samina Arif Alvi said most of the cases with breast cancer in Pakistan were reported at advanced stage.

She said: "According to experts if disease is diagnosed at the first stage there are 95 per cent of survival chances which means that mortality rate can be reduced through educating women about the early symptoms of the disease." She said it was very important for women to take out five minutes from their busy routines to find any lump or other changes associated with this cancer.

Samina Arif Alvi requested the participants of the event that they must spread the breast cancerawareness message among their social circles so that the maximum number of people could getawareness about the disease.