World Cancer Day is February 4th.
What is World Cancer Day?
World Cancer Day is global event taking place every year on the 4th of February. The event includes coordinated events across the globe as well as social media campaigns.
World Cancer Day is sponsored by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), a group made up of over 1,000 different cancer and health organizations in more than 160 countries.
What is the goal of World Cancer Day?
World Cancer Day unites the world’s population in the fight against cancer to raise awareness, educate, and encourage governments and individuals to take action.
World Cancer Day’s self-stated primary objective is “to get as many people as possible around the globe to talk about cancer on 4 February.”
Why is World Cancer Day important?
According to the UICC, 8.8 million people die from cancer worldwide every year. Cancer is truly a global issues. Most people will be affected by cancer in their lifetime either directly or indirectly.
Access to treatment and education varies widely from low-to-middle income countries and middle-to-high income counties. In fact, 90% of low income countries lack access to radiation treatment, a treatment often needed by cancer patients. To learn more about cancer and access to care around the globe, check out the UICC’s special infographic for World Cancer Day.
What can I do to get involved?
On February 4th, join the global social media conversation by using #wecanIcan and #WorldCancerDay. Share and retweet messages from participating cancer and health organizations. Sign up to be part of the “Thunderclap” to join supporters all around the world as they post the same status at the same time in support of World Cancer Day. The coordinated posts will amplify the message so it reverberates through social media like a clap of thunder.
Visit the World Cancer Day website for more ideas on how you can be a part of the global movement.
