Data From The Ministry Of Health Calls Every Year 400,000 Children Prone To Cancer

President Joko Widodo (left) accompanied by First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo and children with cancer in the backyard of the Bogor Palace, West Java, Friday (6/4). (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) reports the most cancer cases that attack children aged 0 to 19 years in Indonesia with an average of 400,000 children every year. "Based on Globocan data in 2020, it is estimated that there are 11,156 new cases of cancer in children aged 0 to 19 years in Indonesia, with the most cases being tertiary as many as 3,880 cases or 35 percent," said Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health Maxi Rein Rondonuwu quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, February 2, Ia said that cancer at the age of children becomes a health problem for people in the world including Indonesia. Every year, Maxi said, it is estimated that around 400,000 children and adolescents aged 0 to 19 years have cancer. Maxi said that early discovery of disease is the main key to preventing cancer development into advanced stages in tackling cancer in children. "The role of parents is very important to recognize signs and symptoms of cancer in children so that it is likely that diagnosis and treatment will be carried out more quickly, so that the cure rate becomes greater," he said. Maxi said, the success in overcoming child cancer in Indonesia is not spared from the role and support of the entire community, including community organizations. "I urge all parents to know and be aware of signs and symptoms of cancer in children and immediately contact the nearest health care facility, if they find signs and symptoms that need to be watched out for," he said.