A campaign to increase public awareness on cancer prevention was launched in China on 7th August,2006.
Cancer is the major cause of death in China, according the Ministry of Health department’s report in May. It accounts for 24% of the deaths. According to a study, environmental and lifestyle factors are responsible for 80% of the cancers and can be treated when detected at an early stage. Treatment extends the lives of 60% of the cancer patients by 5 years.Mao Qun’an, a Health Ministry spokesperson said that the public does not have enough awareness about cancer and the media is also not giving suffient importance to this topic.
Encouragement of media and health workers to promote cancer prevention knowledge to the people, publication of books on stories of how patients fight cancer and engagement in other activities to raise public awareness are the objectives of the 9 month long campaign. Kong Lingzhi, deputy director of Ministry’s disease control and prevention bureau, said, “The public must know that cancer is preventable and curable.”
About 3.1 million people suffer from cancer in China. Lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, oesophagus cancer and rectal cancer are the major killers in the under-65 age group.
