The International Albinism Awareness Day is marked and recognised annually on the 13th of June The day serves to promote awareness and dispel myths about albinism as well as advocate for the well-being and rights of people with albinism On December 18, 2014, theUnited Nations General Assemblyadopted a historic resolution establishing June 13 as International Albinism Awareness Day The day aims to magnify the visibility of persons living with albinism and amplify their often marginalised and unheard voices in all spheres of life
The theme for 2024 is ‘10 years of IAAD: A decade of collective progress’ According to theNational Organisation for Albinism and Hypopigmentation(NOAH), the 2024 theme aims to:
It is arare, non-contagious genetically inherited difference present at birth.It results in a lack of pigmentation(melanin) in hair,eyes, and skin Causes vulnerability to the sun and bright light It is a lifelong condition but it does not get worse over time
Almost all people with albinism are visually impaired and prone to skin cancer There are 2 main types of Albinism:
Oculocutaneous albinism (OCA) – this is the most common type of albinism, affecting the skin, hair and eyes Ocular albinism (OA) – this is a rarer type of albinism that affects mainly the eyes Prevalence of albinism varies by region
North America and Europe have an estimated prevalence rate of 1 in every 20000 people However,the condition is much more prevalent in Africa with estimates of 1 in 1,400 people affected in Tanzania and even higher prevalence reported for specific ethnic groups in Zimbabwe andSouthern Africa TheZimStat Census reportof 2022 puts the population of people living with Albinism in Zimbabwe at 9,747 Persons with albinism have a high vulnerability to skin cancerdue to the lack of pigmentation (melanin)
In some countries, a majority of individuals withalbinism die from skin cancer between the ages of 30 and 40 They also have permanent visual impairment due to the absence of melanin in the eyes and suffer discrimination based on skin colour.
Source: Factcheckzw
