A leading cancer fighting non-governmental organization in Nigeria, Project Pink Blue, has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to protect people living with Cancer, Diabetes and other underlying conditions from the new respiratory illness— Coronavirus(COVID-19).
The Organization which stated that COVID-19 has changed life as we know it for the foreseeable future, called on the Federal Ministry of Health, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), to take strict measures to protect and shield this extremely vulnerable people.
Recall that COVID-19 illness which was first discovered in Wuhan, China and has now spread all over the world including Nigeria, affects the lungs and airways. Nigeria now has over 500 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of April 20, 2020, with 170 people discharged and 21 deaths, an alarming increase from the first index case on 25th February, 2020. This has caused a lot of panic among Nigerians with the fear that Nigeria does not have appropriate healthcare facilities to contain the impact of the community spread of this virus.
Project PINK BLUE stressed that it is more concerned and worried that people at higher and increased risk of catching or dying from COVID-19 are people with underlying conditions such as cancer patients; people living with lung conditions such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); heart diseases such as heart failure; chronic kidney disease, liver disease such as hepatitis, diabetes, people living with spleen problems like sickle cell disease or have their spleen removed, people with weakened immune system as the result of conditions as HIV and AIDS, steroid tablets or chemotherapy as well as people who are overweight (having BMI of 40 or more), according to the World Health Organization (WHO), Centre for Disease Control (CDC), and the UK National Health Service).
According to Runcie C.W. Chidebe, Executive Director, Project PINK BLUE “Some cancer treatments including chemotherapy, targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and radiation can weaken the immune system. People who have weakened immune systems have a much higher risk of complications if they become infected with this coronavirus. People with cancer that has metastasized (spread) to the lungs also can have lung problems that may get worse as a result of coronavirus infection. For this reason, cancer patients and other people living with underlying conditions are people with the most risk of getting coronavirus or referred to as ‘shielded’ or ‘extremely vulnerable people’.
“They should be protected and shielded. The government needs to urgently procure telemedicine to care for these people living with underlying conditions, because if cancer is not treated, it continues to spread to other vital organs”, he said.
A study with 1,590 cancer patients who had COVID-19, conducted in China by Liang et al (2020) published on The Lancet Oncology, asserted that “patients with cancer may have the worse outcome, higher risk of severe events than people without cancer”.
Project PINK BLUE commended all oncology workforces across Nigeria taking extra measures to speak to cancer patients on phone and care for them in this moment of uncertainty, as well as all health workers and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in the frontline caring for people impacted by COVID-19.
“Project PINK BLUE is committed to protecting all people impacted by Cancer in Nigeria, and providing helpful information and support to Cancer Patients, Cancer Survivors, Caregivers, Cancer advocates, and Patient navigators, hence, we have started a zoom meeting series on COVID-19 and Cancer. We also provide psychological support, please reach (out) via info@projectpinkblue.org or call 08188347020″, Chidebe said.
