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Mrs Monica Danso, an Assistant Staff Midwife of the Sunyani Municipal Health Directorate, Family Planning Unit, has advised women to avoid having multiple sexual partners, which is a major cause of cervical cancer.

She said women with multiple sexual partners had high risk of contracting sexually-transmitted diseases (STIs), making the possibility of getting cervical cancer high because of the continuous STIs such as gonorrhoea and syphilis, that had to be treated.

Mrs Danso gave the advice in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani and said 10 women tested positive after screening last year and were referred to the Sunyani Regional and Komfo Anokye Teaching hospitals for treatment to commence.

She said 362 women visited the Unit in 2019 for screening as against 86 in 2018, due to awareness creation, adding that 13 women had already visited the hospital for check-ups this year.   

She said cervical cancer was deadly but when detected early surgery could be done to save a patient from the cost of treatment at the advanced stage, which was very expensive. 

“The disease is preventable but what makes it very dangerous and life-threatening is that it could be with somebody for about 15 to 20 years without any symptom,” Mrs Danso said.

She, therefore, advised every female, from the first day of menstruation to age 75, to visit a health facility for screening every three years.

“Those who have cervical cancer history in their families must do that yearly,” she advised.