Rare Diseases Day

With over 7,000 rare diseases affecting approximately 3.5 – 5.9% of the global population, an estimated 300 million people worldwide are impacted, including around 50 million individuals in Africa.

Rare Diseases can be of genetic origin, but also include metabolic disorders, infectious diseases, autoimmune conditions, and rare cancers. They are often disabling, significantly affecting a person’s quality of life due to their chronic, progressive, degenerative, and often life-threatening nature.

Rare Diseases Day, observed annually on February 28 (or February 29 in leap years) is a global movement to advocate for equitable access to healthcare, diagnosis & treatment for individuals living with rare diseases. The theme for this year is “𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲; 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀” which is a call to highlight the unique challenges, resilience & untold experiences of people living with  Rare Diseases.

 

Limited Data and Research, hindering disease recognition and treatment development.

Diagnostic difficulties, with many conditions going unrecognized or Misdiagnosed

 

Despite these barriers, advancements in genomic medicine, particularly Next Generation Sequencing offer hope for improved Diagnostic capabilities. However, greater investment in Research, Healthcare Infrastructure, and Policy Advocacy is necessary to ensure equitable healthcare access for individuals with Rare Diseases, especially in underserved regions

Experts emphasize the need for global and regional policies that prioritize increased awareness, inclusion, equitable access to healthcare for marginalized populations and stronger policy support for individuals affected by Rare Diseases

𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!

#PublicHealth #RareDiseaseDay2025 #ResearchForDevelopment