10 Things You Should Know About World Cancer Day

Introduction

Cancer is the second leading cause of death, worldwide. A nightmarish observation that has become a universal fact now. The numbers are higher than ever but that doesn’t mean the fight is over. We have got to keep fighting against this evil! And a key event in this fight is the world cancer day! It is a day dedicated to cancer fighters, survivors, and those who lost their lives battling against this evil. In today’s discussion, we are going to highlight the importance of this day by listing the top ten things that you should know about the world cancer day. We got to tell you this, we are quite excited about this little fact fest that we are going to have right now!

1-When is the day actually celebrated?

Without further ado, let us begin with the date. Now, we are open to guesses, any takes? Well, in case your answer was anywhere near February, you were almost right. World cancer day is celebrated on 4th February every year and is an excellent opportunity for all of us to play our part in building a world free of tumours and cancers. But let us tell you right here & right now that the fight isn’t limited to one day. No, it goes on 365 days of the year, so be active throughout the rest of the year, as much as you can!

2-History of the day

A bit of history never hurts, does it? World cancer day was celebrated for the first time in the first year of this century. The day is of historical significance since an important document called The Charter of Paris was drafted on this day. The charter had the backing of the French president and highlighted the need for extensive research that is required in the field of cancer biology. The charter also emphasized ameliorating the status of cancer patient services.  

3-Some numbers about cancer

No matter how woeful they are, it is the numbers that get everyone’s attention. You should also know some of the numbers that depict the horrifying situation aptly. Currently, 9.6 million people are dying every year from this fatal disease. The UICC projects that the number will only double in a decade. It looks bad, but we must be hopeful. 3.7 MILLION. Yes, 3.7 million lives can be saved every year if and only if, humans decide to allocate more resources for early diagnosis and treatment of the disease.

4-Tool kits for awareness

How do organizations spread awareness about cancer? A very good question. Each day dedicated to a particular disease is celebrated differently. In caner’s case, the UICC focuses more on spreading awareness through multimedia strategies. Art can do wonders, which is what we have been observing on the world cancer days. Preventive literature in the form of how-to guides, innovative logos, and social media campaigns, factsheets that are made by crunching the recent numbers and infographics. All of this media constitutes what is rightly termed as the toolkit for cancer awareness!

5- Themes

Themes are an important feature of disease dedicated days, and world cancer day has a new theme every year as well. They are a great way of highlighting the important issues, the secondary topics that are often not discussed at all. For example, the theme for the world cancer day 2014 was Debunk the Myths. It focused on quashing the unrealistic facts that have become associated with cancer over the last few years. These themes can also invite people to participate more in the cause, like the theme of the year 2012 that said Together let us do something! 

6- World Cancer Day 2021 theme

You must be curious about this year’s theme, so let us share that with you too. I am and I will. This has been the theme for the last two world cancer days as well. The idea behind adopting this theme is to encourage the cancer warriors and survivors to keep fighting till they defeat this evil. Pretty inspiring, won’t you say so?

7- Your role

At the very least, you can open your Twitter and tweet against cancer. But there is much more that you can do. Attend a seminar, visit cancer patients with positive vibes, and make them gifts, read more about the disease at home, so on and so forth! We will leave this up to your creativity, eh?

8- Government’s role

Governments all around the world need to amplify their efforts if they mean business. More collaborations with cancer-fighting NGOs and INGOs are desperately needed, something which the states all around the globe should hurry up in doing so.

9- Impact of the activity

More than 100 plus countries actively take part in activities on the world cancer day! Thousands of activities take place every year, each highlighting the need of fighting this evil using all the resources at our disposal. Important buildings are lighted up with bright blue and orange lights to mark the significance of the day. It is quite a sight! 

10- Main organizers

The chief organizer for the world cancer day is UICC. The acronym refers to the Union for International Cancer Control, an INGO (i.e. international NGO) that is the face of the fight against cancer on the global level. It was established in the year 1933, and its current headquarters is in Geneva. The NGO has more than 1200 member organizations and has a representation in 170 plus countries in the world. UICC’s efforts are endorsed by WHO and other leading institutes that have a big say in the fight against cancer.

Conclusion

Well, folks, that would be all for now. Cancer is an evil that demands efforts made on a personal level. This non-communicable disease can be brought under the control by only one method, and that is raising awareness. Speak about cancer as much as you can, write and read about it as much as you can. What will this achieve? A reduction in the number of undiagnosed cancer cases! And trust us that is a start that we could do with!