Surveillance, key technique for data collation on cancer, says Virologist

By Ikenna Osuoha

The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria (IHVN) announced on Sunday that surveillance was a key component of the techniques used by the institute to collate data for cancer.

The Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Dr Patrick Dakum, made the announcement when he featured at the flagship interview forum of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.

Dakum said the institute had over time, applied surveillance in not only collating data but knowing the pendulum of cancer infections.

“We use surveillance to monitor cancer, to know whether it is going up or down and to know where it has more prevalence.

“This will help in planning. When we say we want to support in cancer prevention, we will be able to predict correctly where and what type of cancer we are talking about.”

The virologist, who reiterated the imperatives of surveillance in the fight against cancer, said the institute had capacity for providing information needed in allocation of resources for curative and preventive interventions.

According to him, in IHVN, one of the things we do is to train people that are manning registries in adequate collation of data.

“You go to the urologist to get data about prostate cancer.”

Dakum affirmed the determination of the institute to continue to work in synergy with the Federal Ministry of Health in streamlining cancer registries.

He assured that the institute had the capacity at the moment to give accurate data on incidences of cancer in the country. (NAN)