ZAGREB HOSTS REGIONAL SUMMIT ON BREAST CANCER

ZAGREB, May 8 (Hina) - Croatian President Stjepan Mesic's wife Milka opened a two-day regional summit of first ladies from central and eastern Europe on breast cancer at Zagreb's Sheraton hotel on Thursday. #L# Milka Mesic, who chairs a committee for public education on the early detection of breast cancer, said she advocated education and prevention in order to reduce the rate of mortality from this disease. Health Minister Andro Vlahusic said 2,187 new cases were reported and 832 women died in Croatia 2000, while one million women around the world were diagnosed with and 373,000 died of breast cancer that year. Vlahusic said virtually every Croatian hospital had a mamograph. The summit is attended by the first ladies from Slovenia, Bosnia- Herzegovina, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, the Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia. Croatian Foreign Minister Tonino Picula applauded the first ladies' willingness to actively work in connection with the early detection of breast cancer. A Zagreb declaration will be adopted in which the participants in the summit will advocate the introduction of mandatory medical check-ups twice a year for women in the 40-70 age group. Croatia should start implementing this by 2006. (hina) ha