Expert Alerts On Contaminated Fish In N’Delta

The University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), has disclosed that all fishes from the waters around the Niger Delta are contaminated by hydrocarbon

The Chief  Medical Director (CMD), Aaron Ojule made this disclosure at a rally to celebrate this years World Cancer Day (WCD), Monday.

Dr Ojule stated that the prevalence of cancer in this part of the world was high due to oil exploration activities.

He said, “ part of our challenge is the prevalence of cancer in this part of the world. We in the Niger Delta are worse up because we are in oil producing zone and off course you know that there’s a lot of pollution by hydrocarbons in our environment so that our fishes, plants and foods are being contaminated by hydrocarbons and these hydrocarbons have potential to cause cancer”

He further said “studies by research scientists in our local university show that all our fishes around this area are polluted”.

The CMD lamented that part of the problem of treating cancer is ladle diagnosis and the belief that “cancers are caused by all kinds of things including spiritual attacks and what they call “African Jass” by your brothers and sisters”. and said that the theme of this years WCD is Dispel Damaging Myths and Misconceptions About Cancer.

He said cancer is a non – communicable organic disease, which he stated was causing fatalities all over the world, especially the developing world

He however noted that to help stem deaths, due to cancers, cancer screening would be incorporated in routine medical check and added that, UPTH, through the efforts of the federal reforms agenda in the health sector, has provided facilities to make cancer screening, diagnosis and management possible.

He also said that to handle the challenge of lack of accurate statistics, UPTH has set up a Hospital – Based cancer Registry and would soon embark on a population- Based cancer Registry, this he said would be able to capture the prevalence of cancer in this environment.

Co- ordinator of the Onchology centre, UPTH, Rollings Jamabo, stated that the essence of the rally was to sensitise people and to create awareness of a process called screening in the management of cancer and enjoy the public to visit the Onchlogy centre at UPTH for screening.

He pointed out that for this week screening at the centre for the first 100 people will be free and later of subsidised after which normal rates would be charged.

Tonye Nria-Dappa/ Eni Siko