The ‘World Cancer Day’ is celebrated every year on February 4 by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).
The theme for World Cancer Day 2021 is ‘I Am and I Will’, a reminder of the enduring power of cooperation and collective actions. The primary goal of World Cancer Day is to significantly reduce illness and death caused by cancer.
Cancer is the second leading cause of death globally. This disease can occur at any age, if not detected at the right time and is not treated, can increase the risk of death.
Recent studies estimate about one out of six people worldwide died from cancer. This is more than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.
Hence, to raise the awareness of cancer and encourage its prevention, World Cancer Day is observed annually on February 4 as an international event.
World Cancer Day originated in 2000 at the first World Summit Against Cancer, held in Paris. The Day was founded by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to support the goals of the World Cancer Declaration, written in 2008.
Each year, hundreds of activities and events take place around the world, gathering communities, organizations, and individuals in schools, businesses, hospitals, marketplaces, parks, community halls, places of worship (in the streets and online) acting as a powerful reminder that we all have a role to play in reducing the global impact of cancer.
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