The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has advised that husbands put down the habit of playing with their wives’ breast during the period of lactating because the breast traditionally belongs to the kids.

Suspending the habit reduces the risk of women getting breast cancer, GHS has said.

“What actually help in reducing the risk of your wives getting breast cancer is not about sucking or playing with it alone. But if your kids are breastfeeding, leave if for them. When you suck it at this stage you are likely going to make it difficult for the kids to feed on. The breast is for the kids”.

Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare, Director General of GHS said this in an interview when asked if indeed men playing with their wives’ breast reduces breast cancer or contributes to the risk of women getting breast cancer.

“Men must avoid biting nipple and duct of the breast”, he told Angel Fm in an interview monitored by MyNewsGh.com’s Syxtus Eshun.

According to him, though men can play with the breast, it is advisable to leave it for the kids when the mother is lactating, urging men to make it as a responsibility to examine their wives’ breast for breast cancer as they play with them.

According to GHS, single women, women who have not given birth and those who have also not lactated before have more high risk of getting breast cancer. This month (October) marks world breast “cancer month”.

Every year, there are about 1.3 million new cases and 450 000 deaths cancer according to UN report.

Currently, there is no sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer, therefore; early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control.

The majority of deaths (269 000 out of 450 000) occur in low and middle-income countries.