March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month, Launched in 2003, National Multiple Sclerosis Education and Awareness Month is observed in March of each year, a nationwide effort by the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation and affiliated groups to raise the public’s awareness of multiple sclerosis. The vital goals of this campaign are to promote an understanding of the scope of this disease and to assist those with MS in making educated decisions about their healthcare.

Everyone, not just those affected by MS, is invited to participate in a wide variety of activities that happen across the country. Throughout the month, these activities will get people involved in raising awareness and will help to broaden their personal understanding of MS. Awareness kits are available from MS Focus for those who wish to become involved in the effort. Other MS organizations are encouraged to participate as well.

Multiple Sclerosis affects about 2.5 million people worldwide, and an estimate 400,000 of these people are in the USA. It is a complicated, progressive disease that attacks the central nervous system. While there is no cure for MS, there are treatments for the various symptoms which include numbness (many times in the limbs), fatigue, poor balance and mobility, blurred vision, and more.

Multiple Sclerosis Awareness is represented by the color orange.

Resources:
Multiple Sclerosis Foundation
Multiple Sclerosis News Today
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America