SALEM, Va. – Leap Day is the rarest day of them all — and not by coincidence, Rare Disease Day falls on Leap Day this year.
The day brings awareness to rare diseases and improves access to treatment and medical research.
Because these diseases are so rare, funding for research can often be in short supply, something medical experts say is an unfortunate effect.
“They are not to the advantage of the pharmaceutical industry to put in a lot of money for research. The government ends up investing money into the research. If there’s economic benefit, and the disease is more common, more people can benefit from it,” Director of Infectious Diseases at LewisGale Dr. Muddasar Chaudry said.
There are currently more than seven thousand rare diseases.