The World Health Organisation (WHO) has through its Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti revealed that Africa, yearly records around 1.1 million new cases of cancer, resulting in up to 700 000 deaths, with breast cancer, cervical, prostate, liver and colorectal cancers, accounting for almost half the new cases on the continent annually.
Moeti particularly pointed out that children are also inequitably impacted and out of the more than 400 000 children diagnosed annually with cancer around the world, about 90% live in low- and middle-income countries; with survival rates are at a very low 20% or less in African countries, compared to more than 80% in developed countries.
World Cancer Day is commemorated on February 4 every year and the theme for this year, “Close the care gap”, marks the start of a three-year campaign to raise global awareness around cancer and its impacts, especially on most vulnerable citizens.
“Our call to the Member States in the African Region is to make the necessary investment required to ensure that all our citizens, no matter their incomes or geographic location, have access to quality cancer care.
“A renewed effort to curb new cancer cases is urgent; alarming projections are that cancer death rates in Africa will rise exponentially over the next 20 years, outstripping the global average by 30%.
Source: 400,000 Children Diagnosed With Cancer Annually ― WHO
