Luxembourg Launches Appeal for Solidarity on 11th Rare Disease Day

As part of the 11^th edition of the Rare Disease Day, celebrated on 28 February 2018, the Luxembourg Ministry of Health is launching an appeal for solidarity for people with rare diseases.

Every year, on 28 February, Rare Disease Day is celebrated as an opportunity to join forces and raise awareness of the daily challenges of people affected by rare diseases.

The challenges of such diseases becoming increasingly important in smaller countries like Luxembourg, where the critical mass of patients is too small to develop expertise in different medical specialties. Recognising these challenges, the Ministry and the Directorate of Health have committed themselves - together with other actors on the ground and members of the government - to a national plan for the fight against rare diseases, which is in the process of being finalised and will be presented shortly.

In Europe, around 30 million people are affected by a rare disease, and in Luxembourg, it is estimated that about 30,000 people suffer from a rare disease, representing 1 in 19 inhabitants. Rare diseases are often serious and disabling and for most there is no cure. In Luxembourg, the main source of available data is currently the information collected by ALAN: the Luxembourg Association of Assistance for People with Neuromuscular and Rare Diseases, a key expert in the field since 1998.

As foreseen in the 2013-2018 government programme in Luxembourg, the "National Rare Diseases Plan will be developed in collaboration with national and international organisations". The Plan will be carried out over 5 years (2018-2022).