World Lupus Day on the 10th of May aims to help educate and raise awareness for the disease lupus, a global health issue that is widely misunderstood.
Lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body, whether it be your skin, joints or organs.
The symptoms of the disease tend to cause damaging effects on the body and can result in a potential disability, preventing a person from working, and could make them require lifelong medical care.
“More than five million people worldwide struggle with the often-debilitating health consequences of lupus,” according to the World Lupus Day organisation.
The organisation – funded by the World Lupus Federation, who collectively represent and help support 250 lupus organisations worldwide – aims to improve the quality of life for the people affected by the disease.
One of their main priorities through a petition on their site is to make lupus an international health priority with the main objective of establishing partnerships with global and regional health organisations in order to develop public policies and programs that will support patients, their health care providers, families and those who care for them.
The day serves to call attention to the impact that lupus has had on people globally and to focus on improving patient healthcare services while providing deeper research into the care and cure for the disease.
Lupus is not a widely understood disease, as Rachel Andrews, 27, sales advisor from Islington said “I don’t know a great deal about the disease, if anything at all. But it sounds like a great cause, if we can do all that we can to help, then why wouldn’t we?”
Zoe Burke, 23, a waitress from Islington said: “I have heard of lupus before but I have never really researched into what it is.”
Stefan Vossen, 26, an electrician from the local area, said: “The more we educate ourselves about these health care problems the better and this sounds like a great way to do that.”
How can you get involved? By signing the petition on their site and downloading a free toolkit here: http://www.worldlupusday.org/index.htmlyou will help raise awareness and educate others about the disease.
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