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Kathmandu Friday February 15, 2002 Falgun 03, 2058.
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Duchenne disease awareness week being
observed
Post Report
KATHMANDU, Feb 14: The Muscular Dystrophy Development
Society, Kathmandu, has been celebrating this week (February 11 – 17) as the Duchenne
Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week to create awareness about the disease in the society.
Speaking at a press conference organised here today, the
organisers said due to lack of awareness about the lethal disease, at least two persons
from across the world die each day. And approximately one in every 3,500 male children
suffer from the disease.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Anil Kumar Upadhyay, President
of the Society, informed that no cure or therapy has so far been developed to fight the
disease. "The survival of the affected is very rare," he informed.
Children who suffer from Duchenne lose the ability to walk
between the age of 8-12 years old and lose movement in their arms and upper body around
the age of 14. The disease progresses slowly but will affect all voluntary muscles,
according to the experts.
The status of the disease in Nepal is yet to be known and
"no study or research has so far been carried out in this regard".
The main cause of the disease is the inheritance of defective
genes to the male children. In case there are two or more than two sons in a family, one
or both of them are prone to the disease.
The press conference was also a part of the awareness
campaign, among others.
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