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A charity in the United Kingdom is calling on the government to include cancer awareness in the school curriculum.
The Eve Appeal, a charity committed to informing the public about cancer symptoms in women, launched the “Put Cancer on the Curriculum” campaign. This campaign aims to enhance students’ understanding of cancer through the addition of new subjects in the curriculum.
The campaign is a result of a survey commissioned by the charity. According to the survey’s findings, two-thirds of 1,000 parents want their children, as young as 10 or 11 years old, to be educated on the signs and symptoms of cancer.
The Eve Appeal CEO Athena Lamnisos said that the charity wants to see cancer-related subjects in the curriculum because they put a premium on the prevention and early detection of cancer. Lamnisos emphasized that The Eve Appeal wants to help students to be more knowledgeable and be less embarrassed to talk about sensitive issues like cancer.
In addition, The Eve Appeal wants students to know more about the available vaccines for viruses, like the cancer-causing human papillomavirus, and about National Health Service (NHS) screening tests. These tests help in determining if someone has a higher risk of contracting a disease.
Several people have expressed their support for the campaign. NHS doctor Bella Smith believes that cancer awareness will make it easier for children to spot abnormalities, especially for body parts that most people are embarrassed to talk about. Similarly, Deborah James, a previous deputy head teacher and a cancer patient, feels that her cancer may have been prevented if cancer-related subjects were part of her school’s curriculum back then.