International Albinism Awareness Day is observed by the United Nations on June 13 every year. This year, the theme of the celebration is ‘Strength Beyond All Odds’.
According to the global body, the theme was chosen to highlight the achievements of people with albinism around the world, show that people with albinism can defy all odds, celebrate how people with albinism worldwide meet and exceed expectations in all domains of life and encourage everyone during this time of a global pandemic to join the global effort to build back better.
Here is all you need to know about albinism:
-Albinism is a rare and genetically inherited condition present at birth. It is also non-contagious.
-For albinism to be passed on, both parents must carry the gene, even if they do not have the condition themselves.
-Albinism is found in both sexes, regardless of ethnicity, and in all countries of the world.
-Albinism results in a lack of pigmentation (melanin) in the hair, skin and eyes, causing vulnerability to the sun and bright light.
-As a result, almost all people with albinism are visually impaired and are prone to developing skin cancer. In some countries, a majority of persons with albinism die from skin cancer between 30 and 40 years of age.
-There is no cure for the absence of melanin that is central to albinism.
-It is estimated that in North America and Europe, one in every 17,000 to 20,000 people have some form of albinism.
-Albinism is much more common in sub-Saharan Africa, with estimates of 1 in 1400 people being affected in Tanzania and prevalence as high as 1 in 1000 reported for a few populations in Zimbabwe and for other specific ethnic groups in southern Africa.
