World Psoriasis Day gives hope to people with psoriasis
Global awareness campaign calls for action to effect positive change for the many millions of people who live with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis worldwide.
(Stockholm, October 29, 2015)
Today, October 29, is World Psoriasis Day – the day when people with psoriasis from all over the world unite in a call for awareness and greater understanding of the impact of a complex and challenging disease. But World Psoriasis Day is more than a day for awareness, it is a global campaign that gathers individuals, patient organizations, healthcare professionals and other stakeholders to take action on behalf of people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis; action that can drive change – change that gives hope for a better future. That is one of the many reasons that this year’s World Psoriasis Day campaign encourages people to “Have hope. Take action. Make a change.”
Lars Ettarp, President of the International Federation of Psoriasis Associations, IFPA, comments:
“There have been a number of developments over the last few years that have given us hope. Due to the many actions taken by IFPA’s member organizations and other stakeholders all over the world, the World Health Assembly passed its first-ever resolution on psoriasis in 2014. IFPA’s recent 4th World Psoriasis & Psoriatic Arthritis Conference gave evidence of the huge strides made in research on psoriasis, and never before have there been so many treatment options as today, with even more in the pipeline.
As representatives of the global psoriasis community, we must continue to take action, and to encourage action in others, to ensure that the psoriasis resolution is implemented in the WHO member states and to improve access to proper and efficient treatment and care for all people with psoriasis, regardless of their nationality. At the end of the year, the WHO will be issuing a Global Report on Psoriasis, and we anticipate this document greatly, as we believe it will be of great benefit to our member organizations, as they continue their efforts to create positive change in their countries and regions.”
“Hope. Action. Change.” – using social media to share messages of hope and action
True change can never come about without action, and that is why IFPA are calling upon all stakeholders to join this year’s online World Psoriasis Day campaign to share what can give hope to people with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and what actions can be taken by us all, as individuals and communities, to effect positive change.
Josef de Guzman, Chairman of IFPA’s World Psoriasis Day Steering Committee comments:
“Living with a chronic, painful, debilitating and stigmatizing disease, it isn’t always easy to have hope. We still have far to go in regards to achieving the ability to fully participate in society without the fear of stigmatization or discrimination. That is why it is so important for us to encourage people with psoriasis all over the world to come forward and share what gives them hope for a better future, and what actions they feel should be taken to improve their situation.
That is why we have created a virtual, online “Wall of Hope”, where social media posts using the hashtags #ihopepso, #iactpso and #ichangepso will be shared, and where visitors can also post their messages directly. In this way, we can all help give each other hope; hope for a world where no people with psoriasis will ever again be ostracized, humiliated or discriminated against.”
About IFPA and World Psoriasis Day
IFPA, together with all its national member associations, is working to improve the quality of life for people suffering from psoriasis. Towards this end we are all united in a yearly World Psoriasis Day campaign, on October 29. In 2015 we are focusing on sharing messages of hope, and also on communicating how we can all take action to change the world for the better for people with psoriasis. To read more about World Psoriasis Day, please visit www.worldpsoriasisday.com. More information about the 2015 campaign can be found here.
For more information about IFPA and World Psoriasis Day, please contact the IFPA Secretariat at ifpa@pso.se or +46 8 556 109 18. You can read more about IFPA’s activities at www.ifpa-pso.org.
IFPA’s press room can be accessed here.
