International Childhood Cancer Day 2024: Theme, History, Significance, Symbol

Regardless of age or gender, cancer is always dangerous and life-threatening. It may put an individual’s whole life out of balance, whether it’s a young adult or an elderly person. Adolescents are also not exempted from cancer, which causes about 7 percent of all deaths in this age group.

CCI designated February 15 as the International Children Cancer Awareness Day in order to increase awareness about childhood cancer (ICCD).

International Children Cancer Awareness Day 2023 theme was ‘Better Survival’. The current year theme is yet to be decided.

International Childhood Cancer Day 2024 Overview

International Childhood Cancer Day History

In 2002, CCI, a worldwide network of 170+ organizations, children cancer outreach programs, pediatric cancer surviving organizations, and cancer institutes, celebrated International Childhood Cancer Day to honour those who have and are fighting childhood cancer across the world.

The celebration of this day stems from the organization’s central principle, which is that each kid and adolescent diagnosed with cancer ought to get the finest available medical and psychological treatment, regardless of their geographic location, ethnicity, or socioeconomic position.

International Childhood Cancer Day Significance

Each year on the first of February, International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) is celebrated as a time to draw attention to childhood cancer and provide support to children and adolescents affected by the disease, as well as survivors and their families.

This day’s goal is to raise awareness about this problem throughout the globe. The message encourages more efforts on a global scale to provide improved diagnosis and treatment for children across the globe. Those who are diagnosed with this illness should have the assistance of both medical and financial professionals as well as moral support.

In developed and developing nations, cancer in children and adolescents is the prime concern of noncommunicable disease in them. The delayed diagnosis, an absence of appropriate therapy, and the absence of accurate understanding about this illness all contribute to a higher likelihood of fatality. The aim of this day is to raise awareness about the same. The ICCD is a worldwide effort to boost support for kids with cancer, their families, and survivors of cancer. Raising awareness of cancer while calling attention to the critical need for universal access to cancer treatment for children worldwide is an example of what altruism can do.

International Childhood Cancer Day Objective

The primary goals of this special day are:

• Ensuring that the public is informed about childhood cancer.
• Increasing access to healthcare worldwide.
• Allowing for the relief of pain.
• Provide cancer therapy to children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with cancer.
• Spreading cancer awareness and helping children and their families who have cancer.

Check: Important days in February

International Childhood Cancer Day 2024 Symbol

For this day, a gold ribbon is used as the awareness emblem. It is the universal emblem for all kinds of childhood cancers.

In 1997, the committee agreed to use a gold ribbon as the global emblem for raising awareness about paediatric cancer.

Gold was the ultimate selection, since it symbolised the most valuable item for parents—their children.

International Childhood Cancer Day 2024 Theme

2024 Theme: To be updated

2023 Theme: ‘Better Survival’

2022 Theme: ‘Better Survival’ is achievable #throughyourhands.

For 2021, the ICCD’s theme was: “better survival is achievable #throughourhands”. All three organisations, including the CCI, SIOP, and ICCD, have come together to carry out a three-year campaign focused on “the Tree of Life” concept and the Advocacy Toolkit, to spread hope to patients while also increasing research progress.

To inspire young people from the Tree of Life about cures for childhood cancer, the Tree of Life and the SIOP  have selected this logo to broadcast the message that, as long as everyone continues to work toward the same goal, childhood cancer can be cured and the survivors’ well-being can be assured.

Important Facts

Some things you may not have known regarding childhood cancer are listed below:

1. Cancer is the most frequent cause of mortality among children and adolescents across the globe, and over 300,000 of these youngsters would be identified with the disease each year.
2. It is very difficult to detect and cure childhood cancer, but early diagnosis and appropriate therapy are highly effective in eliminating the disease in children 70% of the time.
3. Children are diagnosed with cancer on average when they are six years old.
4. Childhood cancer sufferers two-thirds of the time are likely to have chronic health issues.

It may be distressing to learn that a loved one has been diagnosed with this illness, particularly when it is your kid. Accurate diagnosis, prompt therapy, and palliative care for the illness may help treat it.

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