Today is World Vitiligo Day, with its first observance in 2011 and has since become an annual, global event. The campaign was born 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 and to shine a light on challenges faced by those suffering from vitiligo.
Over the years, its purpose has broadened from raising awareness of vitiligo to recognizing the bullying, social neglect, psychological trauma, and disability of millions of people affected by vitiligo.
The Vitiligo Research Foundation is pushing for June 25th to be recognized by the United Nations as World Vitiligo Day. You can help by signing the petition to the UN Secretary-General -make sure you go to www.25June.org and add your name to the 500,000+ who have already signed.
The eleventh annual World Vitiligo Day (WVD) will take place on June 25th, 2021 - with Jakarta, Indonesia, playing host. 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.
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.
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. Ten years ago, two or three companies (at most) were developing vitiligo drugs – a number that now stands at 30-plus. And 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 six U.S. State governors and numerous city mayors declared June ‘Vitiligo Awareness Month’ recently.