President and First Lady lead the launch of the breast cancer awareness campaign
La Moneda Palace was lit up in pink during the event to mark the beginning of the initiative to prevent this disease. Last year, 5,393 new cases of breast cancer were recorded.
President Sebastián Piñera and First Lady Cecilia Morel took part in the launch of the breast cancer awareness campaign on Monday.
Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women around the world and the second most common cancer overall. It affects a wide range of people and is on the rise, particularly in developing countries where most cases are diagnosed at a late stage.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Chile and is thus covered under the Explicit Health Guarantees plan (known as AUGE or GES). In 2018, there were 5,393 new cases reported, the majority in people over 50 years old.
The Breast Cancer Campaign was launched in 1992 by Evelyn H. Lauder, who created the pink ribbon as a symbol of the disease.
The campaign has been running in Chile for 17 years. It seeks to unite and inspire people in its mission to create a breast cancer-free world. This year, more than 100 municipalities throughout Chile will participate: 36 in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago and 64 in other areas of the country.
This year, the campaign image includes 15 pink ribbons to remind us that every 15 seconds, somewhere in the world, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer.