31 May 2017: World Multiple Sclerosis Day

World Multiple Sclerosis Day – or World MS Day – on 31 May is the MS movement’s annual campaign to raise awareness of the condition and to support and connect the 2.3 million people living with it worldwide. It s a day to celebrate global solidarity and hope for the future.

In 2009, the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF) initiated the first World MS Day.

World MS Day is officially marked on the last Wednesday of May although events and campaigns take place throughout the month of May. World MS Day 2017 will take place on Wednesday 31 May and the theme will be ‘Life with MS’.

Multiple Sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. MS damages and eventually destroys the myelin (protective covering) surrounding the nerves, causing reduced communication between the brain and the nerve pathways.The damage lead to various parts of the body malfunctioning – not able to work properly.

Common symptoms of MS include fatigue, problems with vision, problems with speech, difficulty with balance and coordination, and other levels of impaired mobility. Some people also experience debilitating and acute pain. Some MS sufferers may go blind or become paralyzed. Multiple Sclerosis can also be the cause of chronic depression that often results in suicide.

As yet, there is no treatment.

Many MS groups across the world will use World Multiple Sclerosis Day to raise awareness and to tackle the under-resourced neurology services and rehabilitation services in their communities.

https://worldmsday.org

https://www.msif.org/about-us/advocacy/world-ms-day/#sthash.leUIwO6O.dpuf

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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