Approximately 3,000 people in Cyprus and 3 million people worldwide live with multiple sclerosis (MS) or sclerosis multiplex, a chronic neurological disease with diverse and often misleading symptoms, making early diagnosis critical but also particularly challenging.
According to the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation (MSIF), approximately one person is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis every five minutes worldwide, and the disease affects both adults and children, with at least 30,000 people under the age of 18 living with the disease.
As the data show, 69% of patients are women, while 31% are men, with 83% of countries reporting difficulties in timely diagnosis.
Accesibility 'not just a token word'
At a press conference held on Friday to mark World Multiple Sclerosis Day, the Cyprus Multiple Sclerosis Association called for better training of healthcare professionals regarding the disease, as well as the promotion of new research and clinical developments in the field of multiple sclerosis.
The design of public works must take into account people’s actual needs, promoting safety, functionality, and easier daily mobility, said the Minister of Transport, Communications and Public Works, Alexis Vafeadis, in his address.
“Accessibility is not just a formality. It is a prerequisite for dignity, autonomy, and active participation,” he explained.
“No policy can be comprehensive unless it is shaped through dialogue with the people it affects. That is why cooperation with the Ministry of Health, the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, and the Cyprus Multiple Sclerosis Association is essential, so that our interventions respond to the real needs of everyday life,” he further noted.
Source: CNA
