World MS Day commemorated
I connect, we connect
Today, on World MS Day, Multiple Sclerosis Namibia is joining forces with the MS International Federation (MSIF), MS organisations across Africa and the 2.8 million persons living with the condition worldwide, to share and learn more about the challenges living with MS on a daily basis.People affected by MS from across the globe are sharing #MSConnections through various social media platforms and other events and activities.
World MS Day was established by the MSIF and its member organisations in 2009 to bring the global MS community together to raise awareness and campaign to improve quality of life. World MS Day is officially marked on 30 May each year.
In Namibia, one of the biggest challenges MS sufferers face is access to primary health care, and with the global theme of #MSConnections, they can reach a bigger achievement as one voice with the support of other African MS organisations by helping to build a connected MS community that advocates about the challenges, i.e. stigma, awareness, resources, etc, and to alert decisions makers about the disease and availability of treatments.
According to the founder of MSNamibia, Bianca Özcan, the organisation counts on the support of countrymen to join forces to make life with MS a little easier. “In light of this, the organisation is aiming to shine a spotlight on awareness and “What MS is” by highlighting the symptoms of MS and encouraging people around Namibia to speak out about theirs.
What is MS?
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological disorders and causes of disability in young adults. There are 2.8 million people with MS worldwide. It is likely that hundreds of thousands more remain undiagnosed and many lives are affected indirectly, by caring for someone with MS.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the age of 25 and 31, with around twice as many women diagnosed as men.
In Namibia the prevalence rate is around 0.001% of the total population, meaning that an estimated 2 500 people in Namibia are affected by MS. However, at the moment there are just over 48 known cases on their database.
The cause of MS is not yet known and as yet there is no cure, although there are treatments available that can help some forms of MS. There are many options to improve and manage the symptoms.
Özcan says there is no set pattern to the severity of someone's MS, the course it takes and the symptoms they experience. “Every person is different, although symptoms can include blurred vision, weak limbs, tingling sensations, unsteadiness, memory problems and fatigue.”
She says that for some, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission (meaning it gets better for a while but then can attack from time to time), while for others it has a progressive pattern (meaning that it gets steadily worse with time). “Some people may feel and seem healthy for many years following diagnosis, while others may be severely debilitated very quickly.”
Multiple Sclerosis Namibia envisages supporting each and every person with MS in Namibia by means of being “the voice” for each patient, comforting the lonely and isolated, information dissemination, and serving as connection between health care institutions.
For more information, visit www.msnamibia.org, or contact [email protected] or 081 142 3543 or visit the Multiple Sclerosis Namibia Facebook page.