FREE CONSULTATION - CALL NOW!

212-LAWYERS or (212) 344-1000

The importance of Rare Disease Day

New York residents may be familiar with Rare Disease Day, a campaign effort to raise awareness regarding the affect of rare diseases on many people and their families. The Council of National Alliances and Eurordis started Rare Disease Day back in 2008 in Europe, and, as of 2015, there were 80 countries participating in the event, which occurs annually on the last day of February. While the goal of the campaign is to mainly alert the public to the dangers of rare diseases, its backers also hope to appeal to people such as doctors, researchers, policy makers and public authority figures who may be able to help advance treatments for the diseases.

New York residents may be familiar with Rare Disease Day, a campaign effort to raise awareness regarding the affect of rare diseases on many people and their families. The Council of National Alliances and Eurordis started Rare Disease Day back in 2008 in Europe, and, as of 2015, there were 80 countries participating in the event, which occurs annually on the last day of February. While the goal of the campaign is to mainly alert the public to the dangers of rare diseases, its backers also hope to appeal to people such as doctors, researchers, policy makers and public authority figures who may be able to help advance treatments for the diseases.

A disease is considered rare when less than 200,000 individuals are affected with it during any given period of time. More than 6,000 rare diseases have affected about 30 million Americans. While 80 percent of the diseases originate genetically, the rest are due to environmental causes, allergies or infections. Half of those who contract a rare disease are children.

There are various disorders and symptoms associated with rare diseases that can affect people in different ways. Furthermore, because the disease’s symptoms often hide the cause of the disease, people are easily misdiagnosed, causing proper treatment to become delayed. For example, as a rare form of cancer, a rare disease called Mesothelioma affects about 3,000 individuals annually and is caused by an exposure to asbestos. In many instances, doctors misdiagnose the disease for a lung ailment.

Whenever people contract a rare disease, it is important that they receive the proper medical treatment as soon as possible. A doctor’s failure to diagnose an illness could cause the condition to get worse, which could prove fatal to the patient. Victims of medical malpractice or their families might consider pursuing damages with the assistance of an experienced attorney.

Source: MAAC, “How to Get Involved for Rare Disease Day 2016”, Feb. 23, 2016

NYC Personal Injury lawyer - RMFW Law Logo Inverted

Get a Free Consultation

No Win No Fee