WHO highlights ways to reduce cancer risk?

Tobacco and alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity are some major
factors’

With cancer emerging as the second leading cause of death globally, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) has listed ways to reduce cancer risk.

It advised not to consume any form of tobacco, to make one’s home smoke-free, to enjoy a
healthy diet, to vaccinate children against Hepatitis B and HPV, to use sun protections, to be
physically active, to limit alcohol intake and take part in organised screening programmes,
adding that breastfeeding reduces a mother’s cancer risk.

TheWHO said consumption of tobacco and alcohol, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity are
major factors that increases cancer risk worldwide and are also the four shared risk factors for
other non-communicable diseases.

“Some chronic infections are risk factors for cancer and have major relevance in low and
middle-income countries. Approximately 15% of cancers diagnosed in 2012 were attributed to
carcinogenic infections, including Helicobacter pylori, Human papillomavirus (HPV),
Hepatitis B virus, Hepatitis C virus, and Epstein-Barr virus. Hepatitis B and C viruses and some
types of HPV increase the risk for liver and cervical cancer, respectively. Infection with HIV
substantially increases the risk of cancers such as cervical cancer,” the WHO said.

Dr. Pawan Gupta, additional director, Surgical Oncology, Jaypee Hospital, Noida said: “Cancer
is the uncontrolled multiplication of cells. Cancer can spread from where it started to another
part of the body. The original cancer is called the primary tumour. The cancer in another part
of the body is called metastatic or secondary cancer. Metastatic cancer has the same type of
cancer cells as the primary cancer. The term metastatic cancer is usually used to describe solid
tumours that have spread to another part of the body.”

Doctors have warned that prevalence of cancer cases are on the rise in India. The Indian
Council of Medical Research stated that approximately 12 to 13 lakh new cases of cancer are
being diagnosed every year along with an existing 25 to 30 lakh cancer cases at any given time
in India.

“The saddest part is that a vast majority of them are being diagnosed in advanced stages. On
the contrary, majority of cancer cases are diagnosed in the early stages in developed countries,
including Europe and the U.S.A., thanks to their effective screening programmes. Awareness
in general population about the big ‘C’ also helps in early cancer diagnosis,” added Dr. Pawan.

Source: The Hindu

Most babies not breastfed in their first hour

Report cites lack of supportive work environment, inadequate skills of health care providers
As many as 6 out of 10 babies born in the country are not able to begin breastfeeding within
one hour of birth despite an improvement in institutional deliveries due to a lack of
supportive work environment, inadequate skills of health care providers as well as caesarean
deliveries, according to a new report made public on Tuesday.

First milk
Mother’s breast milk within one hour of birth ensures that the infant receives the colostrum or
first milk, which is rich in protective factors. The WHO and UNICEF also recommend
exclusive breastfeeding for infants up to the age of six months and thereafter complementary
foods with continued breastfeeding up to 2 years of age or beyond.

The 5th Report of Assessment of India’s Policy and Programmes on Breastfeeding and Infant
and Young Child Feeding in 2018 also gives India a score of 45 out of 100 on 10 parameters
under the category of policy and programmes. However, India performs better in terms of
infant and young child feeding practices scoring 34 out of 50 on five parameters.

The report has been prepared by a national consortium of public health groups and agencies
including government departments, AIIMS and UNICEF, under the aegis of World
Breastfeeeding Trends Initiative (WBTI).

Early initiation of breastfeeding within one hour of birth is 41.5%, exclusive breastfeeding
for the first six months is 54.9%, inclusion of complementary feeding between 6-8 months is
42.7% and adequate complementary feeding and minimum acceptable diet among 6-23
months children is as low as 9.6%, the report cites data from NFHS-4.

Inching forward
India has made some progress over the years and between National Family Health Survey
(NFHS)-3 and NFHS-4, early initiation of breastfeeding has improved from 23.4% to 41.5%
children breastfed within one hour of birth.

This hasn’t kept pace with the stark increase in institutional deliveries which more than
doubled during the same period, from 38.7 % to 78.9%.

Source : The Hindu