World Health Organization:
International Childhood Cancer Day is celebrated annually on 15 February to raise awareness and to express support for children and adolescents with cancer, survivors and their families.
Each year, approximately 300,000 children are diagnosed with cancer – a disease that touches countless families and communities in all regions of the world. With access to quality care, more than 80% of children with cancer can survive, living full and healthy lives. However, many children in low-income and middle income countries do not receive or complete care, and, as a result, over 90% of childhood cancer deaths occur in low resource settings.
A global response is needed to give every child the best chance of surviving cancer free – to raise awareness, improve access, better understand why and where children are diagnosed with cancer through cancer registries, and offer the best possible treatment, palliative care and support for children and their families. WHO has highlighted the importance of diagnosing childhood cancer early and improving access to treatment for children and adolescents with cancer.
On International Childhood Cancer Day, we pause to recognize contributions from advocates around the world and call for renewed collaboration to care for children with cancer globally.
Background:
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 survivals 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.
In Namibia:
The Cancer Association of Namibia (WO30), through its CHICA (Children Fighting Cancer) Namibia programme, aims to create awareness on childhood cancers in the country, as well as support childhood cancer patients and their families.
The CHICA Interim Home was established in 2017 through the generous support of GEKA Pharma who donates N$200 000 annually for the cause; while LEWIS Group supports the home with N$50 000 per year as well.
At current the home has 17 beds sleeping Namibian children on cancer treatment and their mothers. An urgent need to expand the home has been experienced since early 2019 as the increase of childhood cancer cases has sky-rocketed during 2018.
“The 17 beds are occupied at a 95% capacity since we reopened for duties in January (2019) and at current we need to show patients at both our adult and childhood interim homes away,” stated CAN Chief Executive, Rolf Hansen.
415 new cases of childhood forms of cancers have been recorded in Namibia for the 3 year period of 2014-2016.
The complexity of diagnosing childhood forms of cancer remains a challenge.
“It is often infants who cannot speak or show where there is pain that are diagnosed with cancer and parents need to be aware of the signs and symptoms in order to present to the medical officer and help in the process,” explained Hansen.
A childhood cancer education storybook is currently being developed by CAN. Authored by Mrs Astrid zu Bentheim of Windhoek and telling the tale of “Djambo and his friends playing at the waterhole” this light-hearted story tells little ones what cancer is and how they can make healthier choices to prevent getting the diseases. Illustrations of the storybook are currently being done and a pilot reading to test the impact of the story will be conducted during National Spray-a-Thon (2 – 15 March 2019).
The CHICA Fund of CAN has during the 2018/19 annual budget already expended more than N$330 000 (far exceeding the donations support received) towards the CHICA programme and this number is set to rapidly escalate given the current trends. CAN urgently requests the support of the Namibian community to assist in raising funds to sustain this programme and help children who are fighting cancer.
How can I help fight Childhood Cancer?
The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) informs that we can lower our children’s risk of getting cancer later in life by helping them make healthy choices like eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and getting regular physical activity to keep a healthy weight.
- Stay Safe in the Sun – Just a few serious sunburns can increase your child’s risk of skin cancer later in life. Follow our sun safety tips to protect their skin from the sun whenever they’re outdoors. Indoor tanning and tanning outside are both dangerous. Don’t let your children or teens tan.
- Get your kids vaccinated against HPV – The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus that nearly all people will get at some point in their lives. HPV is the main cause of cervical cancer and can also cause vaginal, vulvar, penile, anal, and oropharyngeal cancers. The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cancer. Both boys and girls should start and finish the HPV vaccine series when they are 11 or 12 years old. Teen girls and young women through 26 years, as well as teen boys and young men through 21 years, who haven’t started or finished the series should get those shots as soon as possible. The HPV vaccine can be given beginning at age 9.
- Talk to your kids about smoking and cancer – The best way to prevent cancer caused by smoking is for kids to never start. Most people start smoking during adolescence. Nearly 9 out of 10 smokers start smoking by age 18, and 99% start by age 26.
- Many Namibian high school students reported being a current cigarette or a “hubbly-bubbly” (water pipe / hookah) smoker. Talk to your children about why you don’t want them to smoke. Smoke from other people’s cigarettes (“second-hand” smoke) can cause lung cancer. There is no safe level of second-hand smoke for non-smokers. Don’t expose your children to second-hand smoke. Quit smoking, before it quits you!
- Infant childhood cancer is often hereditary or DNA-bound. These are small children with families that need our help and support, as a cancer diagnosis especially in infants is highly traumatizing for the parents. We can all take hands and support families who are affected by childhood cancers – a willing shoulder to lean on, an ear that listens with empathy, and a heart that is willing to care – these are the ways in which we as a Namibian community can show, in addition to financial support if needed, that we care.