Rare Disease Day

There are 1.2 million people in Iran living with some type of a rare disease, said Dr. Ali Davoudian, founder of the Rare Disease Foundation of Iran (RADOIR). "Out of this number, only 50,000 use the facilities provided by the foundation in free diagnosis or treatment," he said on the occasion of World Rare Disease Day, observed annually on the last day of February, Mehr News Agency reported. About 80% of rare diseases are genetic in origin, and approximately 50% of those affected are children, 30% of whom don’t live to see their 5th birthday.