By Gershim Asiki
Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe are leading in new cancer cases in Africa. In 2018 Kenya was reported to have 47 887 new cancer cases (130 cases daily) and 32 987 deaths (90 daily). This marked a 30% rise since 2012.
Cancer is now the third leading cause of death after infectious and heart diseases in the East African nation.
So what’s going wrong?
The rapid rise in cancer cases can be attributed to major societal and environmental changes that have occurred in the past few decades. These include excessive drinking, cigarette smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet, obesity and exposure to environmental carcinogens, like air pollution. Another big risk factor is infectious agents that contribute to cancer such as the human papillomavirus – responsible for more than 90% of the cervical cancer burden. Read more…
