RARE DISEASE DAY – 28 FEBRUARY 2024

The power of technology brings a ray of hope to rare diseases, ET  HealthWorld

A disease is considered rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2000 people. Rare Disease Day is a globally-coordinated movement, working towards equity in social opportunity, healthcare, and access to diagnosis and therapies for people living with a rare disease. Raising awareness and generating change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, their families and carers.

Those living with a rare disease face many challenges, including:

  • Difficulties in access to treatment and care, often resulting in heavy social and financial burdens on patients.
  • A lack of scientific knowledge and quality information on the disease, often resulting in delays in diagnosis.
  • Instances of misdiagnosis.

Get involved with Rare Disease Day by:

  • Spreading awareness of the event
  • Making a donation
  • Joining or hosting a local event

For more information, visit:
https://www.rarediseaseday.org/what-is-a-rare-disease/

WORLD CANCER DAY -4 FEBRUARY 2024

White background with orange logo and writing saying World Cancer Day 4 February.

World Cancer Day held every 4 February is a global initiative led by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC). By raising worldwide awareness, improving education and coordinating individual, collective and government action, we are all working together to imagine a world without cancer, where everyone has access to life-saving cancer treatment and cancer care is available to everyone – no matter who you are or where you live. 

  • In 2020, it was estimated that there were just under 150,000 new cases of cancer and under 50,000 deaths from cancer.
  • One in two Australian men and women will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85.
  • Cancer is a leading cause of death in Australia .
  • Around 25,000 more people die each year from cancer compared to 1982. This is due mainly to population growth and ageing.
  • In the 1980s, the cancer survival rate was less than 50%. Today, almost seven in 10 Australians will survive for at least five years after a cancer diagnosis and in some cancers the survival is as high as 90%.
  • The most common cancers in Australia (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) are prostatebreastcolorectal (bowel)melanoma and lung cancer. These five cancers account for about 60% of all cancers diagnosed in Australia.

Get Involved :

  • Educating yourself and spreading awareness.
  • Making a donation or purchasing merchandise to raise funds
  • Volunteering or organising a fundraising campaign
  • Speaking with your GP if you have any questions

For more information ,visit:https://www.cancer.org.au

OVARIAN CANCER AWARENESS MONTH -FEB 2024

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month - Mornington Medical Group

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month takes place in February in Australia. It is an important month to bring ovarian cancer into the national dialogue and broaden the understanding of this little-known disease.

Our priorities during OCAM:

Educate. Only 31% of Australians know that ovarian cancer has the poorest survival rate of any female cancer in Australia. This devastating disease suffers from a lack of awareness and progress, we will continue to spread evidence based information every Australian should know about this disease.

Advocate on behalf of those impacted by ovarian cancer for more research funding, better laws and policies, greater access to affordable treatment options and ultimately better outcomes for all those affected.

Elevate the voices of women impacted by this disease by sharing their stories, their real life experiences and getting these stories in front of as many eyes and ears as possible.

Get Involved this February:

Volunteering with the organisation

Raising awareness on social media.

For more information ,visit :

https://www.ovariancancer.net.au

WORLD NTD DAY -30 JANUARY 2024

World Health Assembly adopts decision to recognize 30 January as World NTD  Day

On 31 May 2021, the World Health Assembly (WHA) recognized 30 January as World Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) Day .

A day to create better awareness on the devastating impact of NTDs on the poorest populations around the world. The day is also an opportunity to call on everyone to support the growing momentum for the control, elimination and eradication of these diseases.

NTDs are a group of conditions that affect more than a billion people who mostly live in marginalized, rural and poor urban areas and conflict zones. Although they are preventable and treatable, these diseases – and their intricate interrelationships with poverty and ecological systems – continue to cause devastating health, social and economic consequences.

Despite progress, more work is needed to end the neglect. WHO’s new road map for 2021–2030 calls for three strategic shifts to achieve this ambition:

  • from measuring process to measuring impact;
  • from disease-specific planning and programming to collaborative work across sectors; and
  • from externally driven agendas reliant to programmes that are country-owned and country-financed.

The global NTD partnership includes hundreds of organizations that support programme implementation and contribute to working with health ministries and communities.

For More Information ,visit :https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-ntd-day

WORLD LEPROSY DAY – 28 JANUARY 2024

World Leprosy day. background, banner, card, poster, template. Vector  illustration. 27680180 Vector Art at Vecteezy

In 2024, World Leprosy Day is Sunday 28 January. World Leprosy Day always takes place on the last Sunday of January.

We celebrate World Leprosy Day to raise awareness of a disease that many people think does not exist anymore.

Each year there are 200,000 people diagnosed with leprosy and there are millions who are living with the damaging consequences of delayed leprosy treatment.

World Leprosy Day is an opportunity to celebrate the lives of those affected, raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of the disease, and tackle the stigma that too often surrounds leprosy. It is also an opportunity to raise money so that we can be the generation that ends leprosy transmission.

Here’s three things you can do to support World Leprosy Day

  1. Be a voice for justice online: Use our key messages, leprosy facts, and videos to raise awareness of World Leprosy Day and spread messages of hope. Be United for Dignity with us!
  2. Donate today: We believe we can end leprosy transmission by 2035, but only if we have the right resources. You can give today to help us defeat leprosy.
  3. Have hands of love, not hate: If you live in a community where leprosy is present, where you see persons affected by leprosy, or where you hear people talk about leprosy, you can decide to demonstrate love and kindness, rather than the fear and stigma that so often follows persons affected by leprosy.

For more information, visit :https://www.leprosymission.org/leprosy-champions/world-leprosy-day/

WORLD BRAILLE DAY – 4 JAN 2024

World Braille Day 2023: Theme, History, Significance, Quotes & WhatsApp  Status

World Braille Day, celebrated since 2019, is observed to raise awareness of the importance of Braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and partially sighted people.

Braille is a tactile representation of alphabetic and numerical symbols using six dots to represent each letter and number, and even musical, mathematical and scientific symbols. Braille (named after its inventor in 19th century France, Louis Braille) is used by blind and partially sighted people to read the same books and periodicals as those printed in a visual font.

Braille is essential in the context of education, freedom of expression and opinion, as well as social inclusion

Get involved this January by:

  • Volunteering with the organisation
  • Raising awareness on social media.
  • Making a donation

For more information ,visit :https://www.un.org/en/observances/braille-day

WORLD AIDS DAY – 1 DECEMBER 2023

World AIDS Day 2019 – Healthy Newborn Network

Each year, on 1 December, the world commemorates World AIDS Day. People around the world unite to show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an infection that attacks the body’s immune system, specifically the white blood cells called CD4 cells. HIV destroys these CD4 cells, weakening a person’s immunity against opportunistic infections, such as tuberculosis and fungal infections, severe bacterial infections and some cancers.

  • An estimated 39.0 million [33.1–45.7 million] people were living with HIV at the end of 2022.
  • 1.5 million [1.2–2.1 million] children (0–14 years old).

Get involved with World Aids Day by:

  • Volunteering with the organisations.
  • Raising awareness on social media.
  • Organising a fundraiser.
  • Making a donation.

For more information ,visit :https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-aids-day

INTERNATIONAL HUMAN SOLIDARITY DAY -20 DECEMBER 2023

International Human Solidarity Day

The Sustainable Development Agenda is centred on people & planet, underpinned by human rights and supported by a global partnership determined to lift people out of poverty, hunger and disease. It will, thus, be built on a foundation of global cooperation and solidarity.

International Human Solidarity Day is:

  • A day to celebrate our unity in diversity;
  • A day to remind governments to respect their commitments to international agreements;
  • A day to raise public awareness of the importance of solidarity;
  • A day to encourage debate on the ways to promote solidarity for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals including poverty eradication;
  • A day of action to encourage new initiatives for poverty eradication.

Get involved by:

  • Volunteering with the organisation.
  • Raising awareness on social media.

For more information, visit :https://www.un.org/en/observances/human-solidarity-day