Women of the Cameroon News and Publishing Corporation (SOPECAM) have been educated on prominent health issues such as heart attack, family planning, hepatitis and how to keep the vagina clean and healthy. This is within a two-day educative talk and health campaign organised in line with activities to commemorate the 2019 International Women’s Day on the theme: “Crusade Against the Inequality in the Sexes: Getting Aligned with the New Dynamics.” Health experts from the Ca meroon National Planning Association for Family Welfare (CAMNAFAW) will today, continue with free general consultation and screening for HIV, hepatitis and cervical cancer.

Dr Oliver Oba from CAMNAFAW, in a brief discussion, told SOPECAM women what is heart attack and how they can prevent or know its symptoms. Dr Olivier Oba said the heart is a muscle, and it needs a good blood supply to remain healthy. As people get older, the health expert said, the smooth inner walls of the arteries that supply the blood to the heart can become damaged and narrow due to the build-up of fatty materials, called plaque. When an area of plaque breaks, blood cells and other parts of the blood stick to the damaged area and form blood-clot, which results to heart attack when blood-clot completely blocks the flow of blood and seriously reduces blood flow to the heart muscle.

This is why the medical personal told the ladies to take care of their hearts and do some physical exercises like walking in a bid to reduce the risk of being exposed to heart attack. The women were also advised to consult a doctor when experiencing chest pain for this could be a symptom of heart attack. One of the health experts from CAMNAFAW, Chariette Socgnia Nguepi, also schooled SOPECAM ladies on the practice of family planning which is supposed to be a personal decision between couples.