About

A day to celebrate global solidarity and hope for the future.

About World MS Day

World MS Day is officially marked on 30 May. It brings the global MS community together to share stories, raise awareness and campaign with everyone affected by multiple sclerosis (MS). World MS Day activities take place throughout the month of May and in early June. The campaign offers flexibility for individuals and organisations to achieve a variety of goals.

The MS Connections Campaign

The theme for World MS Day 2020-2023 is ‘connections’. The MS Connections campaign is all about building community connection, self-connection and connections to quality care.

The campaign tagline is ‘I Connect, We Connect’ and the campaign hashtag is #MSConnections.MS Connections challenges social barriers that leave people affected by MS feeling lonely and socially isolated. It is an opportunity to advocate for better services, celebrate support networks and champion self-care.

Campaign Angles

MS Connections is a flexible, wide-ranging theme. Whether you’re individual or an organisation, you can choose to focus on a variety of angles when celebrating World MS Day, including:

Challenging social barriers and stigma that can leave people affected by MS feeling lonely and isolated
Building communities that support and nurture people affected by MS
Promoting self-care and healthy living with MS
Lobbying decision makers for better services and effective treatment for people with MS
Connecting people affected by MS to MS research.

What is MS?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Today, 2.8 million people around the world have MS.

MS is an inflammatory demyelinating condition. It is caused by damage to myelin – a fatty material that insulates nerves. In MS, the loss of myelin affects the way nerves conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain. Symptoms can include blurred vision, weak limbs, tingling sensations, unsteadiness, memory problems, and fatigue.

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. MS is two to three times more common in women than in men. There is no drug that can cure MS, but treatments are available which can modify the course of the disease.

To find out more about MS, get in touch with an MS organisation near you or visit the MSIF website.

The Team

In 2009, the MS International Federation (MSIF) and its members initiated the first World MS Day. Together we have reached hundreds of thousands of people across the world, focusing on a range of campaign themes. Each campaign is developed in collaboration with an international working group of member representatives. Current representatives are from the United States, Greece, Argentina, Australia, India, Kenya, Tunisia, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Our Members

Toolkit

Make the most of World MS Day with the MS Connections toolkit. Anyone can use and adapt these tools, or make their own, to create positive change in the lives of people affected by MS around the world.

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