Autism affects approximately 1 out of every 150 children around the world. It is a neural development disorder that affects their ability to socialize normally by impacting their abilities to utilize verbal and non-verbal communication. Since 2012, there has been a 30% increase in the amount of children being affected with autism, and World Autism Awareness Day helps to bring awareness to this growing health concern.

The history of autism begins in the early to mid 1900s when European psychiatrists began diagnosing the disorder, although at the time it was considered to be a form of schizophrenia. Doctors in Switzerland, Russia, Austria, and the United States were a few of the prominent people who made strides toward the understanding of autism as a disorder.

Autistic people do, nevertheless, still face discrimination and other challenges. As with all populations, autistic people have a wide range of talents and challenges that are often not recognized by the world they are born into .

Get Involved :

• Educating yourself and spreading awareness.
• Making a donation or purchasing merchandise to raise funds
• Volunteering or organising a fundraising campaign.

For more information ,visit https://www.un.org/en/observances/autism-day

April is Parkinson’s Awareness Month, and Monday 11th April is World Parkinson’s Day.  During this month, Parkinson’s Australia is promoting the importance of identifying some of the lesser-known early warning signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s. 
Often people only associate Parkinson’s with a tremor of the hands, trouble moving or walking and loss of balance. 

What are some of the early signs?

• Tremor
• Handwriting can get noticeably smaller
• Loss of smell, known as hyposmia
• Change in the volume of your voice
• Persistent pain in many forms, such as muscle tightness, stiffness or a frozen shoulder 

Get involved with Rare Disease Day by:

• Spreading awareness on Social media,Friends and Family
• Making a donation
• Joining or hosting a local event

For more information, visit: https://www.parkinsons.org.au/parkinsons-awareness-month

Each year we commemorate World TB Day to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of tuberculosis (TB) and to step up efforts to end the global TB epidemic.The date marks the day in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB, which opened the way towards diagnosing and curing this disease.

Key facts

• A total of 1.3 million people died from TB in 2022 (including 167 000 people with HIV). Worldwide, TB is the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 (above HIV and AIDS).
• In 2022, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide, including 5.8 million men, 3.5 million women and 1.3 million children. TB is present in all countries and age groups. TB is curable and preventable.
• Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. Only about 2 in 5 people with drug resistant TB accessed treatment in 2022.
• Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 75 million lives since the year 2000.
• US$ 13 billion is needed annually for TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care to achieve the global target agreed at the 2018 UN high level-meeting on TB.

Get Involved this March by:

• Reading online resources and learning more about Tuberculosis
• Spreading awareness on social media
• Organising a fundraiser
• Making a donation

For more information, visit: https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-tb-day

Down syndrome occurs when an individual has an extra partial (or whole) copy of chromosome 21. It is not yet know why this syndrome occurs, but Down syndrome has always been a part of the human condition. It exists in all regions across the globe and commonly results in variable effects on learning styles, physical characteristics and health.

The estimated incidence of Down syndrome is between 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 1,100 live births worldwide. Each year, approximately 3,000 to 5,000 children are born with this chromosome disorder.

Individuals with Down syndrome can achieve optimal quality of life through parental care and support, medical guidance, and community based support systems such as inclusive education at all levels. This facilitates their participation in mainstream society and the fulfillment of their personal potential.

Get involved this March by:

• Volunteering with the organisation
• Raising awareness on social media.
• Making a donation

For More Information ,Visit :https://www.un.org/en/observances/down-syndrome-day

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated to affect more than 850 million people worldwide and resulted in over 3.1 million deaths in 2019. Presently, kidney disease ranks as the 8^th leading cause of death, and if left unaddressed, it is projected to be the 5^th leading cause of years of life lost by 2040.

Over the last three decades, CKD treatment efforts have centered on preparing for and delivering kidney replacement therapies. However, recent therapeutic breakthroughs  offer unprecedented opportunities to prevent or delay disease and mitigate complications such as cardiovascular disease and kidney failure, ultimately prolonging the quality and quantity of life for people living with CKD.

Get involved this MARCH by:

• Volunteering with the organisation
• Raising awareness about CKD risk factors .
• Making a donation

For more information ,visit :https://www.worldkidneyday.org/2024-campaign/

Glaucoma is a chronic, progressive, degenerative disorder of the optic nerve that produces characteristic visual field damage. Glaucoma is the second cause of blindness, and importantly: it is irreversible.

It is estimated that around 80 million people have glaucoma worldwide. Approximately 50% of the individuals with glaucoma are unaware that they have the disease, and this number may be even higher in underdeveloped countries. This is because in its early stages, glaucoma is asymptomatic. If untreated, glaucoma may progress to blindness.

Periodic testing allows early diagnosis to prevent visual disability.

Get involved this March by:

• Volunteering with the organisation
• Raising awareness on social media.
• Making a donation

For more information ,visit :https://www.worldglaucomaweek.org/

Achieving gender equality and women’s well-being in all aspects of life is more crucial than ever if we want to create prosperous economies and a healthy planet. However, we are facing a key challenge: the alarming $360 billion annual deficit in gender-equality measures by 2030.

Join us on March 8, 2024, for International Women’s Day under the theme ‘Invest in women: Accelerate progress”, and take a stand with us using the hashtag #InvestInWomen.

Here are five key areas needing joint action:

• Investing in women, a human rights issue. 
• Ending poverty.
• Implementing gender-responsive financing. 
• Shifting to a green economy and care society.
• Supporting feminist change-makers.

For more information, visit: https://www.un.org/en/observances/womens-day

Hearing is vital for people’s communication abilities, quality of life, social participation, and health.The prevalence of hearing loss will rise considerably in coming decades due to changing population demographics, increasing exposure to risk factors such as recreational noise, and persistence of untreated ear conditions such as otitis media.

World Hearing Day is the largest global awareness campaign on ear and hearing care that calls for action to address hearing loss.

World Hearing Day aims to:

• Promote public health actions for ear and hearing care
• Stimulate intersectoral partnership for ear and hearing care
• Raise awareness of hearing loss and care at national and community levels across the world
• Encourage behaviour change towards healthy EHC practices.

Get involved with World Hearing Day by:

• Speading awareness about hearing loss
• Hosting an event or organising a fundraiser
• Spreading awareness about World Hearing Day on social media

For more information, visit :

https://www.deafnessforum.org.au/events/world-hearing-day/

A disease is considered rare when it affects fewer than 1 in 2000 people. Rare Disease Day is a globally-coordinated movement, working towards equity in social opportunity, healthcare, and access to diagnosis and therapies for people living with a rare disease. Raising awareness and generating change for the 300 million people worldwide living with a rare disease, their families and carers.

Those living with a rare disease face many challenges, including:

• Difficulties in access to treatment and care, often resulting in heavy social and financial burdens on patients.
• A lack of scientific knowledge and quality information on the disease, often resulting in delays in diagnosis.
• Instances of misdiagnosis.

Get involved with Rare Disease Day by:

• Spreading awareness of the event
• Making a donation
• Joining or hosting a local event

For more information, visit:
https://www.rarediseaseday.org/what-is-a-rare-disease/