By Jess Baker
Figures indicate Warwick residents are nearly 30 per cent more likely to die of bowel cancer than the average Australian.
The shocking statistic, revealed by the Australian Cancer Atlas, has prompted Southern Downs Regional Council and the Queensland Rotary Bowelscan Committee to begin a week-long bowel cancer awareness campaign.
During #GetYourBumIntoGearWarwick Week – Monday 19 July to Saturday 31 July – Rotary is aiming to raise awareness of bowel cancer and its symptoms, and to encourage people over the age of 50 to use the free government test kits and help prevent early onset bowel cancers.
Spokeswoman for the Queensland Rotary Bowelscan Committee Mal Padgett said many people thought bowel cancer was “just an old person’s disease”, but 10 per cent of people diagnosed with it were under 50 years old.
“That is around 1550 Australians annually or 30 young people a week (who) are told, ‘you have bowel cancer’,” Ms Padgett said.
“On our recent tour through Queensland, the people we met in Warwick were visibly shocked when they heard that high bowel cancer statistic for their town.”
Ms Padgett said many Warwick locals expressed they would like to reduce the statistic, and #GetYourBumIntoGearWarwick provides that opportunity.
Southern Downs Mayor Vic Pennisi said it was important to normalise the disease and speak openly about the affordable and easily-available screening tests.
“A small investment in your health today could be saving your life tomorrow,” Cr Pennisi said.
“It is important to get screened and I am calling on our local media and community organisations to spread the message through your community or workplace anyway you can so that we can get this number down and save lives.”
From now until 31 July, find five powerful stories of young Queenslanders who contracted early onset bowel cancer – and information about purchasing testing kits online – at #BowelscanQLD on social media.
Around 15,500 people contract bowel cancer each year. The disease is 98 per cent curable if discovered early, which only 50 per cent of cases are.
If found at stage four, the five-year survival rate of the person with the disease drops to 16 per cent.
Purchase a bowel cancer test kit online from Rotary at www.bowelscanqueensland.org.au/bowelscan-kit or from your local pharmacy.
