Dunedin-based MS Otago community connector Katie Burns, who works with people across Otago living with the condition, said the "time matters in MS" theme focused on the need for timely diagnosis and the impact of delay.
"MS can be managed more effectively now than in the past, often through specific medications, which can help most people," Mrs Burns said.
"The earlier people are diagnosed with MS and the faster they can get treatment, the better in order to limit damage."
MS is a chronic neurological condition in which the body’s immune system mistakenly attacks the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), disrupting electrical signals.This can lead to nerve damage and a range of symptoms, including numbness, muscle spasms and vision loss, and progressive disability in some people.
There are different types of MS, and women are three times more likely to be diagnosed. The average age of diagnosis is 37 years.
Otago has one of the highest rates of MS in New Zealand, 3.8 times that of the far north, possibly due to its distance from the equator.
Mrs Burns said MS could be difficult to diagnose, since "every symptom of MS could also be a symptom of something else".
On average, there was a 4.5-year gap between first symptoms and diagnosis, which increased the chance of irreversible neurological damage and disability.
During this month’s MS Awareness Week, MS Otago is working to raise awareness in workplaces about the many symptoms that could indicate the onset of MS.
"We have flyers and posters that show information about those symptoms and how MS is diagnosed in the hopes of encouraging people to talk to their GP if they have concerns," Mrs Burns said.
There were about 200 people on MS Otago’s books, but it knew there were "many more people out in the community who are living with MS", she said.
People are welcome to contact MS Otago, which can provide support through advocacy, home visits, group meetings and assessments for Total Mobility support, as well as information on how to live well with MS.
For more information, phone 455-5894, email info@msotago.org.nz, visit the website msotago.org.nz or find it on facebook.
Film screening
As part of MS Awareness Week, Tūhura Otago Museum Planetarium will host a fundraising film screening for MS Otago next Thursday, September 11, at 6.30pm.
The film, Take My Hand, is a 2024 dramatised biopic depicting the MS journey of an Australian woman. The screening will also include a 20-minute Night Sky show.
For more information and tickets, visit www.otagomuseum.nz
