MS Otago will be organising a screening of Take My Hand, an Australian film based on the true story of a woman’s journey with multiple sclerosis, at the Riviera Cinema in Oamaru next Tuesday at 6.30pm.
MS Awareness Week runs from September 15-21. The theme this year is "Time Matters in MS". In order to access disease-modifying treatments and prevent severe disability progression, MS needs to be identified early.
"The incidence rate is 3.8 times lower at the bottom of the South Island than at the top of the North Island," MS Otago community co-ordinator Katie Burns said.
Information from Multiple Sclerosis New Zealand’s website says that MS is a complex, chronic autoimmune disease, the most common chronic neurological disease that affects young adults. With MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks the protective layer and nerve fibres of the central nervous system, resulting in varied symptoms, including fatigue, weakness, numbness and balance issues, among many others.
While there is no cure at present, treatments exist that can help slow disability progression.
The average diagnosis age is 37, with three women being diagnosed for every one man.
Due to the variation of symptoms, diagnosis can be tricky. Recent research shows that since 2006 there has been a 67% increased incidence rate of MS in New Zealand, particularly among Maori, Pasifika and Asian communities. The disease is more often identified among New Zealand Europeans.
Tickets for Take My Hand are $10.
— Johanna Schoneveld, Student journalist
