As some of you may know, this Thursday is World Cancer Day. DIS wanted to share with you details provided by the American Cancer Society (ACS) about World Cancer Day and how you may play a part in making an impact on the global effort to end the fight against cancer. The ACS would love to see all of their supporters light up their social media pages with messaging about World Cancer Day on February 4th!
World Cancer Day takes place every year on February 4 and unites the world under a single theme to highlight the on-going fight against cancer. World Cancer Day aims to reduce the number of preventable deaths each year by raising cancer awareness among the general public and pressing governments to take further actions against the disease.
The global cancer epidemic is huge and is set to rise. Currently, 8.2 million people die from cancer worldwide every year, out of which 4 million are premature deaths (aged 30 to 69 years). Urgent action needs to be taken to raise awareness about the disease and to develop practical strategies to address the cancer burden. Global disparities in access to prevention, treatment and palliative care are growing exponentially. With the recent adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we are entering a new era for global health. Now more than ever there is a need for a global commitment to help drive advancements in cancer and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly in low- and middle-income countries who are tackling these epidemics with insufficient resources. World Cancer Day is the ideal opportunity to spread the word and raise the profile of cancer in people’s minds, in the world’s media, and on the global health and development agenda.
For more information on World Cancer day, visit https://www.worldcancerday.org.