In Europe, approximately 30 million people live with a rare disease. Prompt diagnosis of rare diseases is crucial for reducing morbidity and mortality, to estimate the risk of recurrence, and to prevent further complications. Diagnostic delay or undiagnosed conditions, estimated to affect around 10%–30% of people with rare diseases, can have serious physical and psychological effects. People with rare diseases and their families often experience loneliness, tiredness, discouragement etc. Health professionals, for their part, can also experience frustration, delusion, distress.
The National Centre for Rare Diseases (NCRD), part of the Italian National Institute of Health (Rome, Italy), acts as the leading technical and scientific body of the Italian Ministry of Health and the National Health System. Since 2008, the NCRD organises a national artistic competition, The Flight of Pegasus, dedicated to rare diseases. The aim of the initiative is to raise public awareness about rare diseases and empower communities through dissemination of scientific knowledge. The competition offers a variety of expressive formats, including narrative stories, poetry, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, digital art, music composition, and music interpretation. The deadline is until 6th of January, 2019. More information about the competition you can find here.