Twenty years ago, Breast Cancer was not listed as a priority for public and private health services in our country. This was because Nicaragua had other more urgent health concerns, such as Maternal and Child Mortality and the control of infectious diseases.
However, in recent years, Breast and Cervical Cancer have become a major concern for Nicaraguan public health, perhaps because the resources to combat them are excessively expensive for public services and impose a heavy burden on families where there are a sick woman from this cause. Even more so when the social impact is evident in the disability of women of productive age, many of whom are heads of household, especially in single-parent families where the absence of the mother affects the permanence of minor children in school, with the consequent risk of increasing the number of children on the streets and exposure to physical and sexual abuse by other people.
Every year in Nicaragua, about 1,000 women are diagnosed with Breast Cancer, “about 4,700 women in the last 5 years!”, which are mostly detected in advanced stages of the disease, due to the fact that in part there is no culture of self-care in breast health, either due to cultural factors or simply due to ignorance of the danger signs. Well, after all, this cancer seems to develop silently, causing its victims to discover the presence of this deadly enemy too late.
Therefore, the Movicáncer Foundation, together with other organizations, has been developing various special days of dissemination and promotion of Health and this year has decided to launch the campaign: “Self-examination is… that easy”
Why do we want to promote this method? Because breast self-examination is the most accessible method for women and the first to suspect the presence of Cancer.
The ideas that we want to keep in the collective memory of women are three: a) Observe, b) Touch and c) Search. Observing: any danger signs, such as orange skin, erythema, sinking of the nipple; Touched: the entire circumference of the breast, including the axillary and clavicular region; and finally, Looking for: Any abnormality or mass that has previously gone unnoticed and promptly going to the doctor to rule out any compatibility with this type of Cancer.
We want to thank our unconditional sponsors in this 2015 edition: ASOFARMA Centroamérica & Caribe, CLARO, Metrocentro Shopping Center, CONCENTRIX, Printed Designs of Nicaragua (DIM), Central American University (UCA), the Center for Research and Studies for Health ( CIES-UNAN), ATTENZA and ECOMM. As well as the support of the Pan American Office in Nicaragua (PAHO/WHO), the Nicaraguan Mastology Association (AMASNIC) and the support of the Ministry of Health (MINSA), in alliance for the common good of all Nicaraguans.
In conclusion, breast cancer is and will continue to be a challenge for everyone. Challenge that we have begun to assume.
