LEAH charity foundation,a pet project of the wife of Kwara State governor, Mrs Omolewa Ahmed has between 2013 and now screen 11,500 women for breast and cervical cancer in the state.

The screening exercise was carried out at the LEAH cancer centre in Ilorin, the state capital. Mrs. Ahmed disclosed this yesterday during a press conference to mark this year's World Cancer Day.

Represented by the Executive Director of LEAH Foundation, Alhaji Lanre Bello, Mrs Omolewa disclosed that out of the 11,500 women that were screened, 96 were discovered to have full blown cervical cancer while 200 have breast cancer..

She added, "in furtherance of our effort to cut down the devastating effect of cancer,we reached out to young girls in secondary and tertiary institutions in the state. We set up peer groups with the name LEAH Anti-Cancer Club that will serve as a vehicle to reach adolescents and even their parents or relatives by sensitising them on health lifestyles that could forestall infections.".

The governor's wife disclosed that based on WHO) data,7.6 million people died from different types of cancer every year while four million of the number die prematurely between the ages of 30 and 69..

"WHO has also warned us that unless we embark on a rapid awareness and education drive in our communities,the burden of premature death from cancer,a disease which currently kills more people than AIDS,malaria and tuberculosis combined will continue".

"This is no doubt a burden that we cannot continue to bear. Thankfully,research has shown that one third of all cancer cases are preventable with early diagnosis and treatment. This is especially so in the case of cervical cancer.".

She disclosed that a disease,human papilloma virus has been discovered to be a common virus that can lead to genital warts and cancers of the cervix,oral cavity and genital tract..

"It is most spread during sexual activity by skin to skin contact with an infected person. We therefore urged all females within the age of 9 to 45 years to present themselves for screening and vaccination"..

She advised Nigeria women to take steps to prevent cancer by utilising the available informations about the disease and taking care of their health.