The International Rare Disease Day was celebrated on
28.02.2017 for the first time in Shumen, with the active participation of
students and lecturers from Affiliate-Shumen at MU-Varna.
First-year students, majoring in Nursing at Affiliate-Shumen
and their lecturers, together with the National Alliance of People with Rare
Diseases, organized a campaign among the citizens of Shumen, which involved distribution
of information materials. As a token of solidarity the participants raised and
joined their hands at 1:00 p.m. sharp, which is done at the same time everywhere
in Europe. They also released multicolored balloons, symbolizing the thousands
of types of rare diseases.
The Director of the Affiliate Prof.
Sonya Toncheva was awarded with an Honorary Diploma "Noble Heart" for
her support and cooperation in organizing and conducting the Seminar on Rare
Diseases "To Add Life". The award was presented by the Chairperson of
the National Alliance of People with Rare Diseases Mr. Vladimir Tomov.
The initiative, organized by the European Patient Platform
EURORDIS, was held for the first time in 2008, aimed at raising public
awareness for the issues related to rare diseases in the European Union.
Once again this year the day was celebrated in more than 100
countries (EU, the USA, China, Japan, Canada, Australia, Brazil, etc.) in order
to give voice to the pressing issues. The main task of the National Alliance of
People with Rare Diseases is to promote and introduce the generally accepted
European values in Bulgaria - universality, access to good quality care, equity
and solidarity.
