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"id": 962569,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/962569/?format=api",
"text_counter": 211,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
"speaker": {
"id": 2197,
"legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
"slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
},
"content": "Modified Organisms (GMOs) cause cancer or not. Many scientists have not been able to agree on this one. As one of the MPs has stated, almost every MP has a relative or a friend who has been affected by cancer. Personally, my father died of cancer. Two of my uncles died of different types of cancers, including the cancer of the teeth. By the time those cancers were discovered by medical experts, it was difficult to treat them. Its causes are known. In fact, in some products, for example, cigarette packages, it is written that smoking is likely to cause mouth and throat cancer and, therefore, whoever uses it is pre-warned. This Motion is dealing with cervical cancer and the possibility of being prevented through a vaccine. Before you gave me the Floor, I Googled – although one has to contact his doctor and have one or two more doctors for a second opinion – cervical cancer can be prevented through a vaccine. The only precaution given is that, at all material times, you must consult your doctor. This Motion has been sponsored by a medical doctor and a number of medical doctors in this House have contributed to it. It will be great for us, as a country, to come up with a strategy on how to deal with cancer. It is an expensive disease to treat. Once detected in a person, it can render their family bankrupt. Many people have had to sell their property to take care of their children, spouses or relatives who are seeking cancer treatment. Very rich people who have money have been unable to treat this disease sufficiently. Therefore, I believe, as a country, we should come up with a strategy. One of the encouraging things is that, if detected early, cancer can be treated. It is, therefore, good to encourage as many Kenyans as possible to go for cancer screening. The question is: How many Kenyans can afford those tests and how can this message be sent to every village in this country? How can we have a balance – as my learned senior, Hon. Otiende was saying – between the national Government and county governments? As Parliament, what is our role? Have we set aside funds to enable Kenyans to undergo free tests and free treatment to some extent, so that we save the lives of many Kenyans who are likely to perish from this disease? When you look at the causes of cancer, most of them are lifestyle related. It depends with the type of diet you take and the preservatives in our foods. Recently, there was a scare on the preservatives used in meat, whether they are safe or not, and if they are likely to excite cells to grow unnaturally. In the case of cervical cancer, what can be done at the early stage? As one of the contributors has said, we can be carriers of cervical cancer for our spouses. Can this knowledge reach the common Kenyan at the grassroots? This knowledge can help people to be careful with their diets and habits which are the biggest causes of cancer. People who are careful do not smoke, drink alcohol and eat meat. Research on foods like fermented apples has it that when they are consumed, they help with oxidation in the system of the body and, therefore, somebody who takes that fruit even when it is fermented together with apple cidar vinegar, has lower chances of contracting cancer because of the oxidation. After digestion, it turns to acetic acid and diseases do not attack the body when it is acidic in the gastric system. Research is important. There are all manner of theories. We have to wake up as a nation and share research findings with people so that they have this kind of knowledge. Once they have this knowledge, it will be easier to present information on habits. That knowledge should be medically proven. Although the story of apple cidar vinegar is historical and doctors have supported it, I still encourage that we consult a doctor because of one’s current health status. One could be using the wrong prescription or they could have been diagnosed with the wrong disease and yet something else is ailing them. There is hope. Some cervical cancers have been treated and others prevented. Cancer of the colon, in some cases, has been treated successfully because The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}