KUWAIT: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday commended Kuwait’s efforts to raise awareness about Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) at various gatherings with a view to supporting progress in treatment. This came in a press release issued by the WHO’s Representative in Kuwait Dr Assad Hafeez on the occasion of the World Duchenne Awareness Day, which falls on September 7.

He added that Kuwait played a key role in the promotion of this day at various events and organizations, including the United Nations (UN), to disseminate a deep understanding of rare genetic disorders, spur early diagnosis, and buttress progress in treatment and care. Hafeez termed the World Duchenne Awareness Day as a vital opportunity to raise the voice of people with DMD worldwide, reiterating the WHO’s commitment to working with Kuwait and other member countries to provide better health care.

The WHO’s representative underlined that this year’s theme: “Raise your voice for Duchenne” emphasizes the importance of amplifying voices to advocate for the rights, inclusion, and wellbeing of people living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and other dystrophinopathies Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a rare progressive disorder. People with DMD are missing muscle-protecting proteins. This is due to a fault in the gene-producing dystrophin.

Muscles to become weaker over time until it affects the whole body. It is caused by a mutation on the X-chromosome, that is why mainly males are affected. Recognizing that Duchenne muscular dystrophy is one of the most common pediatric genetic rare diseases, the General Assembly decided to designate 7 September, the current World Duchenne Awareness Day, as a United Nations Day, to be observed every year beginning in 2024.- KUNA