Every year on June 25th, World Vitiligo Day celebrates the lives of those with vitiligo. It’s also a day to build global awareness about this skin disease.
Vitiligo is a disease that causes a loss of pigment cells called melanocytes. Up to 1% of the world’s population is affected by vitiligo. While it affects all genders and ethnic groups, it is more noticeable in those with darker skin. Vitiligo usually shows up in people between the ages of 20 and 30.
Early symptoms of vitiligo include:
- Premature graying of the hair on the scalp or the eyebrows.
- Loss of color on the inside of the mouth.
- Change in color of the eye’s retina.
In 2011, Ogo Maduewesi from Lagos, Nigeria, came up with the idea for a vitiligo awareness day. At the time, Maduewesi was the president of the Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VSAF). He, along with a small number of activists, held a Vitiligo Purple Fun Day at a local shopping mall. They chose June 25th to commemorate the death of Michael Jackson. Yan Valle, CEO of Vitiligo Research Foundation (VRF) in New York, wanted to expand the idea of having a day dedicated to vitiligo awareness. Thanks to Valle’s efforts, the event became known as World Vitiligo Day. Today, it’s one of the largest grassroots health events on the planet.
The eleventh annual World Vitiligo Day takes place on June 25-26th, 2021.
Each year WVD is officially hosted by a different city and in 2021 it is the turn of 🇮🇩 Jakarta, Indonesia to act as campaign headquarters. The honorary captain is Dr. Srie Prihianti Gondokaryono, supported by a strong team from the Indonesian Society of Dermatology & Venereology (Advisor: Dr. Yulianto Listiawan, Vice-President: Dr. Andreas Widiansyah, and Secretary: Dr. Hanny Nilasari). Unfortunately, the large-scale, in person activities that typify WVD are not possible this year, due to COVID restrictions.
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