Written By Vanessa Kariuki ||
International Childhood Cancer Day, observed on February 15, is a day dedicated to bringing attention to childhood cancer and showing support for those affected, including survivors and their families.
The main theme is: Better Survival is Achievable #ThroughTheirHands.
On ICCD, we unite our voices and envision a day when every child and adolescent with cancer receives the finest care, support, and treatment available, regardless of where they reside in the world.
More than 400,000 children and teenagers under 20 receive cancer diagnoses each year.
In most High-Income Countries, the survival rate is 80%, but only in Low and Middle-Income Countries does it fall below 20%.
The Ministry of Health reports that Kenya’s survival rates are on average between 19 and 30 percent, which is lower than the 80% average for high-income nations and that there are greater results with early detection and therapy.
Additionally, the Ministry emphasizes that children with cancer may not exhibit any symptoms, and an abnormality is typically found during a routine examination.
Screening is possible for RETINOBLASTOMA. Leukemia, lymphomas, kidney tumors, and brain tumors are among the most common cancers.
MOH Virtual academy has a course for health care workers to know more about these childhood cancers.
The WHO Global Childhood Cancer Initiative’s target goal is to end all pain and suffering experienced by children with cancer by the year 2030 and to achieve a minimum survival rate of 60% for all children worldwide who have been diagnosed with the disease.
Over the following ten years, this will save the lives of an additional million youngsters, roughly tripling the current cure rate.
