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'Rare Disease Day' is observed on:
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Answer: Option D — The last day of February (28 or 29 February)
Detailed Solution
Rare Disease Day is observed every year on the last day of February, which is 28 February in ordinary years and 29 February in leap years.
About Rare Disease Day:
It was started in 2008 by EURORDIS (Rare Diseases Europe), a European alliance of patient organisations, together with national rare disease alliances.
The first Rare Disease Day was held on 29 February 2008. A "rare" date was chosen to symbolise rare diseases.
It is now observed in more than 100 countries.
Its aim is to raise awareness among the public and policymakers about rare diseases and their impact on patients' lives, and to improve access to diagnosis and treatment.
What is a rare disease:
A rare disease (also called an "orphan disease") is one that affects a small number of people compared with the general population.
Definitions vary by country. In the European Union, a disease is rare if it affects fewer than 1 in 2,000 people. In the USA, it is one affecting fewer than 200,000 people.
There are thousands of rare diseases, most of them genetic, and many begin in childhood.
Examples include haemophilia, thalassaemia, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Gaucher disease and lysosomal storage disorders.
Many rare diseases have no approved treatment, and the few available treatments are often very expensive.
Rare diseases in India:
- The Government of India approved the National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD) in 2021.
- It provides financial assistance of up to 50 lakh rupees for the treatment of patients with certain rare diseases at designated Centres of Excellence.
- The National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission was launched in July 2023 at Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, with the aim of eliminating sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047.
Other health days:
- World Cancer Day: 4 February.
- World TB Day: 24 March.
- World AIDS Day: 1 December.
- World Sickle Cell Day: 19 June.
Why not the other options?
- ✗4 February is World Cancer Day.
- ✗24 March is World TB Day.
- ✗1 December is World AIDS Day.
Quick tip
Remember: Rare Disease Day = last day of February (since 2008, EURORDIS; first held on 29 February); National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021; World Cancer Day = 4 February.
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Important Days & Dates — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Important Days & Dates, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers national and international days observed through the year, such as National Youth Day, World Environment Day and International Yoga Day, along with the themes announced for them and the events or people they commemorate. Questions ask for the date of a day, the day observed on a given date, or the person it honours (for example, National Sports Day on 29 August marks the birthday of Major Dhyan Chand). Revise days month by month in a calendar format. Themes change every year, so learn the current year's themes from current affairs. Practise the important days questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.