Tourette Syndrome Awareness Week
May 4th-10th
- New research reveals that one in four Australians have never heard of Tourette Syndrome and just 15% of parents have taught their children about the condition.
- Tourette Syndrome is a neurological condition that affects 45,000 children in Australia.
- One in two believe that Tourette Syndrome affects a child’s ability to learn and perform well in school.
For more information:
National Motor Neurone Disease Week – MND Australia
May 1th-7th
Motor neurone disease (MND) is the name given to a group of diseases in which motor neurones progressively die. Motor neurones are nerve cells that control the movement of voluntary muscles, that is, muscles that are under conscious control. These include all the muscles of the arms, legs, back and neck and of speech, swallowing and breathing.
MND Week is celebrated nationally in May to raise awareness of the needs of people living with MND and their family. It is a time to acknowledge the MND community and people living with MND today and to remember those who have died.
The prevalence of MND was 8.7 per 100,000 people in 2015 or one per 11,434 Australians
For more information:
World Autoimmune Arthritis Day – International Foundation for Autoimmune Arthritis
May 15th
AiArthritis refers to the type of inflammation-driven arthritis caused by certain Autoimmune or Autoinflammatory diseases.
Combined, there are over 100 autoimmune diseases, autoinflammatory diseases, and conditions that may involve some form of arthritis – but only a few (including some that are rare) – feature inflammation-driven arthritis as a major clinical component early in onset (“Autoimmune Arthritis” and “Autoinflammatory Arthritis”, or AiArthritis). While the arthritis component unites these diseases, because they are autoimmune and autoinflammatory in nature, they affect more than just the joints. The inflammation travels through the bloodstream, so these diseases affect the whole body, including tissues and organs.
Approximately 300 million people worldwide are diagnosed with at least one AiArthritis disease. However, our research suggests that over 50% of patients go undiagnosed or are diagnosed with a “undifferentiated” disease*, increasing this number to an estimated 450 million. Given onset can occur at any age in children and usually between the ages of 20 and 40 in adults, these diseases affect people in the prime of their lives.
For more information:
World MS Day – MS Research Australia
May 26th
The 2020-2022 World MS Day theme is ‘connections’. MS Connections is all about building community connection, self-connection and connections to quality care. We are challenging social barriers that leave people affected by MS feeling lonely and socially isolated. Together, we advocate for better services, celebrate support networks and champion self-care. Change the future, find your #MSConnections.
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