People need to be educated about the causes, symptoms and preventive measures about cancer, opined Chairman of Uttarakhand Chapter of Indian Media Centre (IMC) Anoop Nautiyal on the eve of World Cancer Awareness Day. The day is celebrated every year on November 7. He said that it is very unfortunate that the medical science is yet to find a proper remedial measure for the dreaded disease.
He further said that a survey suggests that there are 29 lakh cancer patients in the country and in absence of proper awareness about the disease every year 11 lakh new cases are added every year. The disease is caused by exposure to radiations, pollution, irregular eating habits, consumption of liquor and tobacco. The IMC chairman said that knowledge about the disease and timely treatment holds the key to fight the disease. He informed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) report suggests that one out of every eight deaths in the world is caused by the cancer and after heart related diseases cancer is the second in the list of killer diseases. Nautiyal appreciated the initiative of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan to celebrate the day in the country. Expressing concern on the rising number of cancer cases in Uttarakhand Nautiyal said inculcating good habits and adopting a healthy lifestyle can help reduce the prevalence of the disease.