International Childhood Cancer Day 2021

The International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD), observed on the 15th of February, is a campaign to raise awareness about childhood cancer and express support for children and adolescents with cancer who previously had cancer and their families. // Childhood Cancer International (CCI), the largest organization representing families of children with cancer, created this event in 2002. It is anchored on the premise that childhood cancer deaths are avoidable, with an early and accurate diagnosis, access to quality and essential medicines sling with proper treatment and care.

CCI’s core belief is that every child and adolescent with cancer deserves the best possible medical and psychosocial care, regardless of country of origin, race, financial status, or social class. They also hold that children with cancer have the right to follow up care and sustainable livelihood opportunities.

Each year, 400,000 plus children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer across the world. The survival rate is 80% in most High-Income Countries but is as low as 20% in Low and Middle Income Countries. Unfortunately, most of the children with cancer live in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). This results in a lack of early detection, diagnosis, and access to quality treatment and palliative care.

Although significant advances have been made in recent years to treat childhood cancer, children with cancer still need to be referred as early as possible to specialized centers where trained professionals treat them.

Parents and healthcare workers must know the first signs and symptoms to act as early as possible.

The Global Initiative for Childhood Cancer (GICC), launched by WHO in 2018, aims to achieve at least 60% survival for children with cancer by 2030 and reduce suffering for all by addressing inequities in treatment.

This initiative represents almost double the current cure rate and could save a million more children’s lives by the next decade.

GICC has two main objectives:-

1) Increase the capacity of countries to provide quality services for children with cancer

2) Prioritize childhood cancer nationally, regionally, and globally to spark action

To carry out the Global initiative, a technical package called CureAll is being launched on ICCD this year to guide the countries.

On the 20th edition of the ICCD, CCI and the International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP) launched a three-year campaign fully aligned with the CureAll strategy. The ‘Tree of Life’ concept aims to amplify the message, and Advocacy Toolkit aims to accelerate life-saving progress for young cancer patients worldwide.



Source-Medindia