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Oral sex can lead to throat cancer – Physician Assistant
● Mrs Cynthia Acromond
It may come as an acquired habit over the years and the possibility of deriving pleasure from it could be great but difficult to be abandoned.
Despite the feelings associated with it, sexual partners who indulge in oral sex risk contracting throat cancer.
Mrs Cynthia Acromond, a Physician Assistant who was the leader of the Cervical Cancer Awareness Creation team at the Volta River Authority (VRA) Aboadze Hospital in the Shama District of the Western Region said contracting cervical cancer could be possible if the sexual partner had the Human Papiloma Virus (HPV) at her genitals.
Giving some statistics, Mrs Acromond told The Spectator that, about 1,140 women aged between 21 and 60 years had been screened from January 2022 to date ( January 2023) at the VRA Hospital.
She said, 35 girls and five boys ,aged between nine and 14 years, had been vaccinated with their first doses and were awaiting second dose.
She disclosed that, one patient whose cancer was at the advanced stage had been referred to Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) for chemotherapy in 2022.
“We conduct visual inspection with acetic acid dub on the cervix for two to three minutes to see if there is any change ( aceto whitening) which indicates cancer cells on the cervix. We also pap smear. That is, the test done to know if there is intraepithelial malignant cells on the cervix,” Mrs Acromond explained.
She noted that cervical cancer was preventable and that no woman should die as a result of the disease.
She said cervical cancer was sexually transmitted and listed preventive measures such as “safe sex practices abstinence, being faithful to one’s partner and the use of condom if one cannot abstain,”.
Mrs Acromond assured “It is projected that cervical cancer could be eradicated by the year 2100 because of vaccination and screening for pre- cancer disease of the cervix. There are effective vaccines that can be given prophylactically.”
She said,” Early detection is treatable; that is why we are preaching prevention.
Which include vaccination, safe sex practices, sex education tailored to age and culture while secondary prevention, involves screening. Tertiary prevention involves treatment of the disease, surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.”
The District Director of Health, Judith Naa Deide Okine, also advised the public against multiple sex partners, adding “ We need everybody on board to assist in the campaign in order to “avoid deaths caused by cervical cancer.”
The Medical Superintendent at the VRA Aboadze Hospital, Dr Taurus Valmont, said one strategy was to rope in commercial sex workers since they were predisposed to cervical cancers.
From Clement Adzei Boye, Aboadze
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
