Rare Disease Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is Rare Disease Day, and I stand to help raise awareness for more than 7,000 different types of different rare diseases and disorders that affect more than 300 million people nationwide.

Today, the National Institutes of Health is celebrating its eighth annual Rare Disease Day, and I applaud their efforts to bring awareness to this very important issue.

Mr. Speaker, in the United States, a condition is considered rare if it affects fewer than 200,000 people combined in a particular group. In the U.S. today, there are approximately 30 million people living with rare disease, many of whom are inflicted with diseases whose symptoms are so complex that they simply remain undiagnosed. It is estimated that 80 percent of rare diseases are genetic in origin, and about half of all rare diseases affect children.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues to join me not just today but every day in helping to raise awareness on this very important issue that affects so many people in this Nation and around the world.

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