International Childhood Cancer Day

15 Feb
International Childhood Cancer Day
February 15, 2019
 
International Childhood Cancer Day (ICCD) which was founded in 2002 by Childhood Cancer International (CCI) is celebrated around the world each year on February 15th. CCI - a global network of 171 member organizations in 88 countries including our member organization is committed to working with its international partners including the World Health Organization, SIOP, and others, towards the global goal of reducing childhood cancer mortality and the elimination of cancer-related pain and suffering.
 
On September 28, 2018 at the United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced its new global initiative to address the disparity between childhood cancer survival in low-middle versus high-income countries. Each year, more than 300,000 children ages birth to 19 years are diagnosed with cancer around the world. Approximately 8 in 10 of these children live in low and middle-income countries where their survival rate is often near 20%. This is in stark contrast to high-income countries, where cure rates exceed 80% for many common childhood cancers.
 
The Target Goal of the WHO Global Childhood Cancer Initiative is to eliminate all pain and suffering of children fighting cancer and achieve at least 60% survival for all children diagnosed with cancer around the world by 2030. This represents an approximate doubling of the current cure rate and will save an additional one million children’s lives over the next decade.
 
On International Childhood Cancer Day, we stand united to make childhood cancer a national and global child health priority in support of the WHO Global Childhood Cancer Target Goals. ICCD 2019 campaign focuses on “No More Pain” and “No More Loss” for children with cancer and their families. To achieve this goal, governments, health care providers, industry, parent support groups and society at large must ensure the right to early and proper diagnosis; the right to access life-saving essential medicines; the right to appropriate and quality medical treatments, the right to treatment without pain and suffering and when a cure is not attainable, the right of the child to a pain-free death.
 
Together, on ICCD, we raise our voices and envision the day when there is No More Pain and No More Loss for all children with cancer regardless of where they live in the world.
 
For more information, contact:
 
Ruth Hoffman, MPH
CCI President
PO Box 806
1000AV Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 30 239 51 41