Bulgaria is among the top three countries in Europe diagnosing, treating and tracing people with rare diseases, Georgi Stefanov, from the organizing committee of a national conference about rare diseases and orphan drugs, told BTA, citing data from a European study. The two-day conference is hosted by the southern city of Plovdiv and begins on Friday.

Stefanov said Bulgaria ranks second in Europe after Hungary while the Czech Republic is placed third.

Data from the Bulgarian Rare Diseases Institute show that around 6% of the Bulgarians suffer from rare diseases. Most cases have genetic causes.

Stefanov said that the Health Ministry has a register for each individual disease and the information is accessible on the Ministry's website. A rare disease is a disease that affects less than one person per 2,000.

The 2022 national conference on rare diseases and orphan drugs focuses on the modern genetic and clinical diagnosing and treatment of neuromuscular disorders. Some 32 speakers will present the latest advances in diagnosing, treatment and tracing of rare diseases, the development of the Europe rare diseases reference networks and the access to innovations in the field. The event is held for the 13th year running.

Stefanov said that a rare diseases awareness campaign mottoed Like Everyone Else is ongoing. It is organized by the Rare Diseases Institute, the National Alliance of People with Rare Diseases, and the Association of Research Pharmaceutical Producers in Bulgaria.

Source: Agency Kampuchea Press