4th February: World Cancer Day

The World Cancer Day (WCD) is observed every year on 4 February across the world to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. Its primary goal is to reduce the illness and related deaths by 2020.
The theme (tagline) for this year is “We can. I can”. It reflects on what everyone can do to raise awareness of cancer and asks to take pledge and action in fight against cancer. “We can. I can” is special three-year campaign for the World Cancer Day from year 2016 to 2018. It seeks to explore how everyone- as individuals or as a collective – can do their part to reduce the burden of cancer globally.

Background

The WCD was instituted by Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in 2008 by formally writing goals of the World Cancer Declaration. The primary goal of observing the day is to reduce illness and death caused by it by 2020. The origin of day can be traced to 2000 at first World Summit Against Cancer, which was held in Paris, France.

UICC

It is Geneva based leading international non-governmental organisation (NGO) founded in 1933. Its purpose is to help the global health community to accelerate the fight against cancer. It has a membership of over 800 organisations spread across 155 countries.

Month: Current Affairs - February, 2018