World Psoriasis Day, 29 October 2010
Childhood psoriasis – a challenge for all!
October 29 is World Psoriasis Day. Conceived by patients for patients, World Psoriasis Day is a truly global event focusing on the burden of living with psoriasis. There are more than 125 million people with psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis in the world. Many are children. Psoriasis is a severe chronic inflammatory disease that effects all ages, genders, races and ethnicities.
The theme of World Psoriasis Day 2010 is: Childhood psoriasis – a challenge for all
“Childhood psoriasis is difficult in many ways and affects the whole family. Treatment options are much fewer than for adults. Getting a child with severe psoriasis in the family, who needs constant care, is a concern for all; parents, siblings, relatives and friends. In preschool and primary school relationships with class mates will be very important, sometimes including the risk of bullying and discrimination. This is why awareness raising about the disease must be prioritized and repeated again and again, since new generations are coming and growing up all the time.” Lars Ettarp, President of IFPA says.
Encouraging all children in the world to join, IFPA arranged the World Psoriasis Day International Drawing Competition for Children. The drawing competition which took place both a national and global level was launched together with the new mascot for World Psoriasis Day; the World Psoriasis Day Teddy Bear called Ted, who suffers from psoriasis.
The IFPA Member associations asked children in all ages to send in a drawing to a national drawing contest. The drawing should feature 3 things: Psoriasis, a Teddy bear and a feeling (to be reflected in the drawing.) The national Psoriasis association selected a drawing as national winner to be competing for the country in the global contest. The winning drawing from each competing country was sent to the IFPA Secretariat to compete on a global level. A short presentation of the young artist and a description of the drawing in the artist’s own words were also enclosed.
At the EADV Congress in Gothenburg Oct 7-10, the winning drawings from all over the world were presented as an Art Gallery in the IFPA Booth in the exhibition. The almost 8 000 delegates of the EADV Congress; professors, doctors and scientists from all over the world, were invited to vote for the global winner.
We are today, at World Psoriasis Day 2010, happy to announce and warmly congratulate the winner.
Congratulations
Faya Priem, from the Netherlands
Faya is 6 years old and she has had psoriasis since she was 3 years old. She says: Sometimes it is worse; sometimes it gets a bit better. Sometimes it gives her big problems.
Faya wrote a poem on her drawing:
‘Hello Sun, Hello Sea,
Please, take the spots away from me….’
The word on the sailing boat means: ‘itching’
Please visit www.worldpsoriasisday.com for more information and to see the winning drawing and the finalists. The story of our WPD Teddy bear and his psoriasis, teddy postcard and illustrations can also be downloaded there.
Happy World Psoriasis Day!
For more information, please contact:
Lars Ettarp, President of IFPA, International Federation of Psoriasis Associations
Mobile: +46 708 592 112, E-mail: ifpa@pso.se
Annika Rastas, Director of the IFPA Secretariat,
Phone: +46 8 556 109 14, E-mail annika.rastas@pso.se
World Psoriasis Day
Since 2003 October 29 is the World Psoriasis Day. Its primary purpose is to act as a focus for people - patients, doctors, nurses and the general public - to raise awareness of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and to give people with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis the attention and consideration they deserve. World Psoriasis Day is also a channel to encourage health authorities to offer better access to the most appropriate treatments. Read more at www.worldpsoriasisday.com
IFPA
The International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA) is a nonprofit organization made up of psoriasis associations from around the world, representing more than 125 million people who suffer with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis.
More information about IFPA: www.ifpa-pso.org
125 million reasons to fight Psoriasis: Documentary turns the spotlight on some of them
125 million people worldwide suffer from a life changing disease that goes beyond what meets the eye and most people’s knowledge and imagination. We are talking about psoriasis. Today marks the world-wide day to speak out about the disease and the launch of the 2nd Under the Spotlight documentary.
Stockholm, Sweden, October 29th, 2010
Today, on World Psoriasis Day 2010, the International Federation of Psoriasis Association (IFPA), as a call to action, releases the 2nd Under the Spotlight documentary – an initiative that provides world-wide examples on why psoriasis is ‘a world health challenge’ – and encourages you to take two simple actions today:
- Go to www.underthespotlight.com and then
- Cast your vote on the story that changed your perception of psoriasis the most
By doing so, you actively contribute to raising awareness about psoriasis – a central weapon in the fight against the disease.
‘A world health challenge’ refers also to the title of a recent symposium organized by IFPA and attended by a representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) leading physicians and other providers of health care.
The key conclusions from the symposium points to the fact that psoriasis is not ‘just’ a skin disease that afflicts the single individual; it is a complex, progressive disease that can have several direct and indirect consequences for the individual, the family, the employer and society as a whole, if not managed optimally:
“Dr Shanthi Mendis, WHO, states in her eminent key note presentation at the IFPA Satellite Symposium that the non communicable diseases, as causes of deaths in the world, have dramatically increased and are actually overtaking the infectious and communicable diseases. The global health challenge is moving focus towards the chronic diseases and their often mortal comorbidities. The IFPA Satellite Symposium proved once more several important reasons to have psoriasis recognized as a serious chronic disease that needs to be taken more seriously. IFPA has, together with all our stakeholders, including WHO, an important challenge to make this a reality”, Lars Ettarp, President of IFPA says.
In order to raise awareness on this fact, IFPA in 2009 launched ‘Under the Spotlight’ – a program supported by the health care provider Abbott, and designed to portray the true nature of psoriasis via documentaries featuring people with psoriasis from all over the World. The mission: To communicate the ‘black box’ of psoriasis via, for the first time, documenting on film the face and the nature of psoriasis. None of the featured “spotlighters” ever imagined what one day would strike them. Now they know. The disease changed their lives.
“Decisions and choices that most people have - and take for granted -, such as having children, a social life, an education or a job, are not easy when you have psoriasis. Sometimes we don’t even have these options. And all of this can and needs to change. We have to fight the ignorance, nature and consequences of psoriasis with any means we have. IFPA, representing millions of people over the World, is committed to win this fight. But we can not win it alone. Hence, we are happy to fight side by side with everyone, who, like in this case Abbott, shares the commitment in more than one way, and understands and respects what our individual roles and responsibilities are in this fight’, Lars Ettarp continues.
IFPA encourages everyone to visit www.underthespotlight.com. All the Under the Spotlight documentaries are provided by individual patients and members of IFPA, and the documentary that receives most votes will be honored with the Under the Spotlight Award. This award is given by IFPA and announced in November 16 – the International Day of World tolerance, and will be announced in an International press release and on www.ifpa-pso.org
International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA)
The International Federation of Psoriasis Associations (IFPA) is a non profit umbrella organization made up of psoriasis associations from around the world. Today IFPA has 40 member associations. IFPA unites psoriasis associations so that their global campaign for improved medical care, greater public understanding and increased research will improve the lives of more than 125 million people who live with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and explore the challenges psoriasis presents to the international psoriasis community.
World Psoriasis Day
October 29 is World Psoriasis Day, an annual day dedicated to people with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis. Conceived by patient for patients, World Psoriasis Day is a global event to raise awareness about psoriasis and gives an international voice to more than 125 million people around the world who suffers from psoriasis.
World Psoriasis Day is an awareness concept owned and managed by IFPA, to help them achieve the vision of a world without human suffering from psoriasis, and the mission, to be the unifying global voice of all psoriasis associations, supporting, strengthening and promoting their cause at an international level. www.worldpsoriasisday.com
The World Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Conferences
Every third year IFPA arranges an international scientific conference focused on the latest findings about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and related co morbid conditions. The uniqueness of these conferences is that throughout the scientific program the true patients’ perspective is reflected. The 3rd World Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Conference will be held in Stockholm, Sweden, June 27-July 1, 2012. www.ifpa-pso.org
Interviews available with: IFPA, healthcare professionals involved in the development of the project, patient associations in participating countries, and contributors to the programme.
For further information please contact: Annika Rastas, Director of IFPA Secretariat, +46 8 556 109 14, e-mail: ifpa@pso.se. Visit www.underthespotlight.com to browse the library of patient stories.
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