6.9 million people worldwide have a bleeding disorder
75 per cent of them do not know it
Every April 17, World Haemophilia Day is marked worldwide with the goal of increasing awareness of haemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. This is a critical effort since with increased awareness comes better diagnosis and access to care for the millions who remain without treatment.
World Haemophilia Day was started in 1989 by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) who chose to bring the community together on April 17 in honour of WFH founder Frank Schnabel’s birthday.
World Haemophilia Day 2015 is focused on the importance of Building a Family of Support. It is crucial that those with a bleeding disorder build a family and network to provide encouragement and care for them. As well a strong family and network can contribute to advocating for awareness and better Treatment for All.
A significant amount of care, support, and advocacy is done through extended families which come in many forms: medical teams, friends, and colleagues, as well as immediate relatives. These communities share the ability to come together in large numbers and encourage the improvement of the lives of people with a bleeding disorder.
There will be special activities for our online community, so be sure to follow these Facebook pages for details on World Haemophilia Day news and activities:
Make a family tree on World Haemophilia Day. For a template and how to guide visit tinyurl.com/makeafamilytree.
World Haemophilia Day 2015 will be a unique opportunity to connect with the global bleeding disorder family on the World Federation of Hemophilia social media network and encourage your online community to join the global family!
For information and resources visit www.wfh.org/whd.
Haemophilia Foundation Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia, the land, waters and community where we walk, live, meet and work. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
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