Scores of volunteers took part in the ‘Racefor7’ event conducted on Sunday to create public awareness on rare diseases which has afflicted 70 million people in India alone.
An initiative of the Organisation for Rare Diseases India (ORDI), the organisers said that though called rare diseases, the numbers are high in India given the sheer population levels and genetic factors. While worldwide nearly 350 million people were said to be afflicted by rare diseases, about 70 million were in India alone, they added.
Though there are 7000 diseases classified as rare, medicines were available only for a few, according to medical professionals taking part in the event. They said that in cases where it was available, the cost was prohibitive. Hence it made sense to follow the dictum of prevention was better than cure, and the Racefor7 was an effort to create public awareness about them.
