Event Summary

The first Rare Disease Day, in 2008, was celebrated in 18 countries, almost all in Europe. In 2017, for the 10th edition of the day, Rare Disease Day events took place in 94 countries and regions on every corner of the globe, from islands such as Mauritius to large developing nations such as Botswana and Sudan. Media from all over the world covered the day, in which politicians, researchers, medical professionals and policymakers in Europe, the US and many more countries and regions participated.

Media Coverage

As well as being mentioned by the President of the United States, Rare Disease Day 2017 received great media coverage all around the world, from the Philippines to Iran.

Social Media Highlight

• 2017 saw the most successful #RareDiseaseDay Thunderclap yet, with a social reach of nearly 2 million people.
• #DiaMundialEnfermedadesRaras trended worldwide and
• #RareDiseaseDay trended in over 10 countries, including the USA, the UK and Canada.
• Posts on the @rarediseaseday Twitter account received half a million impressions, more than 60,000 more than the previous year.
• In the 2017 build-up to Rare Disease Day, the website received over a hundred thousand sessions, a 30% increase on the same period last year
• The official Rare Disease Day video the video was viewed 205,000 times on Facebook alone