“For the people interested in public awareness campaigns against the spread of cancer in the country the cause behind the spread of this deadly disease among the youth below the age of 40 years is the changing lifestyle particularly dietary habit.”
Latest survey on spread of deadly disease “Cancer” has shown alarming rise of the deadly disease by 20% among youth in the country and changing lifestyle is believed to be the cause of the spread of this deadly disease among the youth below the age of 40 years. A survey conducted by “Cancer Mukt Bharat Foundation” recently published in most of the newspapers across the country has found 20% of the cancer cases among men and women below the age of 40 years. A matter of grave concern is the fact that 60% cancer patients below 40 years age, according to the survey are men and 40% of them are women .While head and neck cancer is found among 26% of the patients, the gastrointestinal cancer like colon, stomach and liver is found in 16% and Breast cancers accounts for 15 % followed by blood cancers with 9%. For the people interested in public awareness campaigns against the spread of cancer in the country the cause behind the spread of this deadly disease among the youth below the age of 40 years is the changing lifestyle particularly dietary habit. While the health specialists advise people to adopt a healthy lifestyle by avoiding use of ultra-processed food products, tobacco and alcohol, the people in Jammu & Kashmir particularly youth below the age of 40 years are intensely using ulta-processed food products and tobacco.
“In view of the increasing inaccessibility of people of middle and low income groups to essential drugs and the available treatment the onus of carrying out public awareness campaigns for reducing the rise in the spread of cancer diseases lies more on the Government and less on the civil society groups in Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country. For easing the accessibility of cancer patients to essential drugs and treatment on reduced expenses Government can collaborate with Volunteery Health Associations. The surge in cancer cases among the youth below the age of 40 year as such necessitates initiatives from the Government and support from Volunteery Health Association for containing the spread of the deadly disease and facilitating the treatment to patients of lower income groups who don’t afford treatment due to rising costs of both the treatment and as well as the essential drugs.”
Since the above referred study shows that 27% of the cancer cases diagnosed in India are in stages 1 and 2 of cancer but 63% of them are found Stage 3 or 4 cancer, wisdom demands that people of all age groups particularly the youth below the age of 40 years stop using ultra-processed food products , tobacco and even alcohol. While available treatments unfortunately show marginal results, the essential cancer drugs are inaccessible to people of middle and low income groups. In view of the increasing inaccessibility of people of middle and low income groups to essential drugs and the available treatment the onus of carrying out public awareness campaigns for reducing the rise in the spread of cancer diseases lies more on the Government and less on the civil society groups in Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country. For easing the accessibility of cancer patients to essential drugs and treatment on reduced expenses Government can collaborate with Volunteery Health Associations. The surge in cancer cases among the youth below the age of 40 year as such necessitates initiatives from the Government and support from Volunteery Health Association for containing the spread of the deadly disease and facilitating the treatment to patients of lower income groups who don’t afford treatment due to rising costs of both the treatment and as well as the essential drugs.
