Rotary Bowelscan kits went on sale this week and will be available from four pharmacies in the region during March.

Margaret River Rotary Club community director Fran Temby said she encouraged everyone over 40 to buy a kit.

“Bowel cancer is among the most curable cancers when detected early,” she said.

“It is a confidential, simple test you can do at home.”

The Rotary Bowelscan kits are an initiative of the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund and aim to raise awareness of bowel cancer and the importance of early detection.

Mrs Temby said last year there had been a good response in the community with a strong uptake of the kits.

“We hope to sell even more kits this year,” she said.

“It is great to have the pharmacy at Cowaramup on board for the first time.”

Rotary Bowelscan uses faecal occult blood test (FOBT) screening kits designed to discover blood passed from the bowel that is invisible to the naked eye.

People can use the test kit at home and return it to the pharmacy.

The test is then forwarded to Western Diagnostic Pathology, where it will be analysed for free.

To find out more about the kits visit the website www.catchcancer.org.au