World Parkinson’s Day is celebrated every year on 11 April to remind ourselves about this disease. Parkinson is a degenerative brain condition associated with motor symptoms (slow movement, tremors, stiffness) and various non-motor complications (cognitive impairment, mental health disorders, sleep disorders and other).
According to Parkinson Europe, World Parkinson’s Day was first organized by the European Parkinson Disease Association (EPDA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1997. At that time, an inauguration was happening for parkinson. The inauguration was marked by the launch of the European Parkinson’s Charter. It focuses primarily on Parkinson’s patients, their families, and healthcare professionals to work together to raise awareness of the disease.
The charter was endorsed by influential people around the world including British royalty HRH Princess Margaret and Princess Diana, British Prime Ministers John Major and Tony Blair, Pope John Paul II, Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, and American boxing legend Muhammad Ali. As a result of World Parkinson’s Day in 1997, the WHO established a working organization that deals with the medical condition of Parkinson. Also the date April 11 was marked to be celebrated for World Parkinson’s Day. This was in May 1997.
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The date April 11 is the birthday of Dr. James Parkinson. He was the first doctor to recognize Parkinson’s as a medical condition. He published an essay in 1817 titled, “An Essay on the Shaking Palsy.” And In 2005, on the 9th celebration, red tulip was adopted as the official symbol for this disease.
This year, World Parkinson’s Day 2023 is the 26th anniversary. Launching its official website, the Parkinson Foundation carries the theme “#Take6forPD’. The aim of the 2023 World Parkinson’s Day campaign is to raise awareness of the increasing number of people living with Parkinson’s by encouraging the community to #Take6forPD (minutes) to take action.
Source : Tempo.co, Detik.com
