World Federation of Hemophilia marks 50 Years of Advancing Treatment and Awareness for All on World Hemophilia Day

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Apr 16, 2013, 01:03 ET

MONTREAL, April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The global bleeding disorders community will come together on April 17 to mark World Hemophilia Day. This event takes on a special significance as it coincides with the 50^th anniversary of the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH).

To commemorate its 50^th anniversary, the WFH has launched a hemophilia awareness video entitled The Journey Begins. It explores the origins of the WFH and the inspired role that Frank Schnabel played in bringing together the global bleeding disorders community to form the WFH.

In spite of all the progress that has been made over the past 50 years, the vast majority of people with inherited bleeding disorders, living in developing countries, do not have access to proper care. In fact, 75 percent of people around the world with a bleeding disorder still receive very inadequate treatment or no treatment at all.

World Hemophilia Day provides an ideal opportunity for the global bleeding disorders community to raise awareness about where we have been, where we want to go, and that together, we can close the gap in care.

"One of the greatest benefits of participating in World Hemophilia Day is the recognition that our community is more powerful when we work together," said Alain Weill, WFH president. "People from around the world will mark this day and raise awareness about the need to achieve Treatment for All."

The WFH has launched a World Hemophilia Day social media campaign on their World Federation of Hemophilia Facebook page and on its YouTube channel, to promote what members of the global bleeding disorders community hope to see occur within the next 50 years.

World Hemophilia Day 2013 is supported with funding from Baxter, Bayer, Biogen Idec Hemophilia, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Precision BioLogic, and Sobi.

Join the international bleeding disorders community on April 17 to mark World Hemophilia Day.

About hemophilia and other bleeding disorders

Hemophilia, von Willebrand disease, inherited platelet disorders, and other factor deficiencies are lifelong bleeding disorders that prevent blood from clotting properly. People with bleeding disorders do not have enough of a particular clotting factor, a protein in blood that controls bleeding, or else it does not work properly. The severity of a person's bleeding disorder usually depends on the amount of clotting factor that is missing or not functioning. People with hemophilia can experience uncontrolled bleeding that can result from a seemingly minor injury. Bleeding into joints and muscles causes severe pain and disability while bleeding into major organs, such as the brain, can cause death.

About the World Federation of Hemophilia
For 50 years, the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), an international not-for-profit organization, has worked to improve the lives of people with hemophilia and other inherited bleeding disorders. Established in 1963, it is a global network of patient organizations in 122 countries and has official recognition from the World Health Organization. Visit WFH online at www.wfh.org

SOURCE World Federation of Hemophilia