Children with rare ageing disease ‘found’ through global media campaign
Posted on 23. Aug, 2010 by Handbaglady in Communications, News, People
Further to my post last October about the launch of GLOBALHealthPR’s awareness campaign ‘Find the other 150′ I am now pleased to announce the fantastic results…
Thirteen new children from seven countries with the rapid ageing disease Progeria have been found as a direct result of the campaign, bringing the total known cases in the world to 67.
The campaign was run globally by GLOBALHealthPR with the sole aim of identifying children with Progeria through media relations activities.
As of October 2009, only 54 children living in 30 countries worldwide across the globe had been identified with Progeria. The disease affects less than .01% of the world’s population. However, experts estimated that another 150 children with Progeria were alive elsewhere in the world, but had not yet been located or identified.
“At the launch of the campaign, we thought that finding even one child would make the campaign a success,” said Audrey Gordon, Executive Director and President of The Progeria Research Foundation (PRF). “Each additional child we identify with Progeria allows us to provide him or her with unique and essential medical services and care, and significantly furthers medical research to develop treatments and a cure.”
“These results have exceeded our greatest expectations,” Ms. Gordon said. PRF is the only non-profit organisation solely dedicated to finding treatments and the cure for Progeria.
Since all children with Progeria eventually die from the same heart disease that affects millions of older people, finding a cure for Progeria may provide clues to preventing or treating heart disease, as well as other conditions associated with the natural aging process.
‘Find the other 150’
The ‘Find the other 150’ campaign was conducted in 10 countries. GLOBALHealthPR conducted media relations activities in consumer media and directly with medical professionals using locally adapted and culturally relevant materials as well as using online tools such as the campaign website.
The awareness generated more than 20 inquiries to PRF about potential children with Progeria in six months. From these inquiries, 13 new children with Progeria were identified from seven countries.
“These results are tremendous and make me very proud of my GLOBALHealth colleagues,” commented Neil Crump, joint Managing Director of GLOBALHealthPR’s UK partner Aurora. “If disease awareness efforts can make such a big difference in the world of Progeria, just imagine the enormous impact that well-funded education and outreach campaigns could have on more common diseases, and the implications for enhancing research, treatment and prevention,” he added.
neilcrump
05. Sep, 2010
This is such an great result – it is brilliant that these special children will get support that they really need. Well done my fab GLOBALHealthPR colleagues – you care a lot, it matters, you rock.