Overview of past Rare Disease Days

Check out a summary of other years

Each year Rare Disease Day has seen events take place all over the world. See year-by-year highlights and how Rare Disease Day has grown since its first celebration in 2008.

Rare Disease Day 2019 highlights

Theme: Bridging health and social care
Slogan: Show your rare. Show you care.
Participants in 101 countries and regions
Newcomers in 2019: Dominican Republic, Lesotho, Montenegro, Namibia, Niger, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Zambia
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2018 highlights 

Theme: Research
Slogan: Show your rare. Show you care.
Participants in over 90 countries and regions
Newcomers in 2018: Cape Verde, Ghana, Syrian Arab Republic, Togo and Trinidad and Tobago
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Rare Disease Day 2017 highlights

Theme: Research
Slogan: With research, possibilities are limitless
Participants in 94 countries and regions
Newcomers in 2017: Botswana, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan and Saint Pierre and Micquelon
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Rare Disease Day 2016 highlights

Theme: Patient voice 
Slogan: Join us in making the voice of rare diseases heard
Participants in 85 countries and regions
Newcomers in 2016: Andorra, Aruba, Indonesia, Libya, Mauritius, Moldova, 
Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2015 highlights

Theme: Living with a rare disease
Slogan: Day-by-day, hand-in-hand
Participants in 85 countries and regions 
Newcomers in 2015: Bolivia, Estonia and Madagascar
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2014 highlights

Theme: Care
Slogan: Join Together for Better Care!
Participants in 84 countries and regions 
Newcomers in 2014: Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, Guinea, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Oman, and Paraguay
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2013 highlights

Theme: Solidarity
Slogan: Rare Disorders without Borders
Participants in 72 countries and regions 
Newcomers in 2013: Bahrain, Iceland, Israel, Lebanon, Palestine and Singapore
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2012 highlights

Theme: Solidarity
Slogan: Rare but Strong Together!
Participants in 63 countries and regions
Newcomers in 2012: Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Guatemala, Pakistan and Venezuela 
Read more

Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2011 highlights

Theme: Rare diseases and health inequalities
Slogan: Rare but Equal
Participants in 55 countries and regions 
Newcomers in 2011: Armenia, Iran, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Panama, Peru, Thailand, Uruguay
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2010 highlights

Theme: Bridging patients and researchers
Slogan: Patients and Researchers: Partners for life!
Participants in 45 countries and regions 
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2009 highlights

Theme: Rare Diseases: a Public Health Priority
Slogan: Patient Care: A Public Affair!
Participants in 30 countries and regions 
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Rare Disease DayRare Disease Day 2008 highlights

Theme: Rare Diseases as a Public Health Priority
Slogan: A rare day for very special people
Participants in 18 countries 
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News
Thank you to all who took part in Rare Disease Day 2019
Thank you to all who took part in Rare Disease Day 2019
We have come a long way from the first Rare Disease Day which took place over a decade ago in 2008 when 18 countries took part. This year, Rare Disease Day was celebrated by patient groups, policy-mak...
14 Mar 2019
Today is Rare Disease Day 2019
Today is Rare Disease Day 2019
Today on Rare Disease Day 2019 the worldwide rare disease community is joining together to raise awareness of rare diseases by holding events, conferences and fundraisers. Thousands of Rare Disease Da...
28 Feb 2019
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