Why Raising Awareness Matters in the Fight Against Rare Diseases

World Rare Disease Day, an annual observance held on the last day of February, seeks to raise awareness for rare diseases. On that day, hundreds of patient organizations from more than 80 countries will be participating in activities to call attention to thousands of ailments, many of which are without treatments or even names. We spoke to Hudson Freeze, director of the Human Genetics Program at Sanford Burham Medical Research Institute, about World Rare Disease Day, the importance of raising awareness, and how research into rare diseases can shed light into more common ailments.