This year the global World Vitiligo Day headquarters will be hosted by Mexico, under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Med. Jorge Ocampo Candiani. Celebrations in the USA are being organized by Minnesota VITFriends and Global Vitiligo Foundation on June 24-25. This annual event unites researchers, doctors, and patients to drive awareness and celebrate the diversity, resilience, and determination of the nearly 100 million vitiligo sufferers worldwide.
What Is Vitiligo?
Vitiligo causes the skin to lighten in patches across the face and body. It is an unpredictable, non-communicable, autoimmune skin disease that affects one in every hundred people to some degree. As yet, there is no known cure. The burden of vitiligo falls particularly hard on developing countries, due to misdiagnosis of the disease, little or no access to effective treatments, and widespread stigmatization and discrimination.
What Is World Vitiligo Day?
World Vitiligo Day was born in 2011 from the determination of non-profit organizations VR Foundation (USA) and VITSAF (Nigeria), and their supporters across the world, to bring this ‘forgotten’ disease into the public eye. The onset of the campaign has been fueled by Aksenov Family Foundation, whose generosity has been vital in ensuring that WVD has become a global force that’s enriched many lives and brought vitiligo onto the mainstream health agenda.
Huge progress has been made. Eleven years ago, two or three companies (at most) were developing vitiligo drugs – a number that now stands at 30-plus – with a positive outlook for at least one drug. Just this year the U.S. FDA held its very first public meeting on vitiligo, where the community had a unique opportunity to speak directly to key stakeholders in vitiligo drug development. Another indication of WVD’s success is that 18 U.S. State governors and numerous city mayors declared June ‘Vitiligo Awareness Month’.
However, there is still much work to be done and WVD aims to persuade major organizations such as the UN and WHO to give vitiligo the attention it deserves and instill change in the national healthcare policies of member states. Organizers are also looking to the big pharmaceutical companies to introduce more products that satisfy the growing demand for effective treatments.
SkinMD Can Help With Your Vitiligo
Although vitiligo is not deadly or contagious, it can cause intense social and emotional distress. Many treatments can address your Vitiligo symptoms and lessen the psychological impact of this condition, so let us help!
To set up an appointment at one of our four SkinMD locations, call the office nearest you, or use our online booking tool to request an appointment today! You can also send us a message using the contact form here on our website.
