Cancer is a deadly disease. Skin cancer is very prevalent in Australia. It is among the leading causes of deaths in the country. This is attributed to various factors. They include unfavourable climate, the composition of the skin of the people as well as proximity to the equator which is associated with high ultra violet rays. The social attitudes of the people and their love for outdoors are also another factor.
Skin cancer is severe with two out of three Australians requiring treatment for skin cancer by the time they reach an age of 75 years. Australia has the highest cases of skin cancer worldwide. It is an ordeal that has been there since the 18th century and has claimed a lot of lives since then. It is unfortunate that the incidents of skin cancer in the country continue to increase day by day (Lane and Comac 78).
According to Rajpar and Marsden (55), the rates of skin cancer in Australia are usually higher in lower latitudes as compared to higher latitudes and those people who are born in Australia as opposed to those born elsewhere. It is also clear that those with poor tanning ability are affected more and are more susceptible to skin cancer.
There are various services and support that are provided by Cancer Council Victoria in regard to skin cancer in Australia. The fact that there have been many cases of deaths following skin cancer in the country has necessitated that various measures be adopted in an effort to minimize the cases and save lives and make the country a better place to be and live.
Cancer Council Victoria is a non profit making unit that aims at plummeting the impact of cancer in the country. It provides a wide range of advice on issues associated with cancer. The organization also facilitates cancer research through funding.
In addition, Cancer Council Victoria acts as an advocate for cancer patients and their relations and also facilitates support programs aimed at educating and preventing cancer incident among the citizens. Provision of an information service to the people is a significant role that helped people to take necessary precautions, an aspect that is incredibly crucial in preventing cancer (Rajpar and Marsden 56)..
There have been considerable insights in regard to skin cancer in Australia especially in terms of how it has been advertised. The fact that skin cancer has claimed a lot of lives is an issue that has necessitated the creation of awareness in the best way possible. This has been in an attempt to minimize cases of skin and other cancers with the belief that prevention is usually better than cure.
The availability of online cancer information and support service has for instance helped greatly in making the ordeal well known to as many individuals as possible hence facilitating taking of appropriate actions in regard to issues related to cancer. There have also been skin cancer awareness campaigns for example the National skin cancer awareness campaign that ended on 29th January 2010.
The campaign was aimed at educating Australian teenagers on the seriousness of skin cancer and how susceptible they are. Sun protection strategies were also taught for instance seeking shade, wearing sun protection clothing, putting on wrap-around sunglasses and a protective hat as well as applying SPF30+ broad spectrum water resistant sunscreen regularly among other measures.
Generally the issue of skin cancer in Australia is widely known to people despite the fact that the cases have not been mitigated appropriately (Australian government, Department of Health and Ageing par 1).
Works Cited
Australian government, Department of Health and Ageing. “ National Skin Cancer Awareness Campaign.” Skin cancer, 2010. Web.
Lane William and Comac Linda. The Skin Cancer Answer. New York: Penguin, 1998.
Rajpar Sajjad and Marsden Jerry. ABC of Skin Cancer. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2008