World MS Day

World MS Day on 30 May is an international awareness day for everyone affected by multiple sclerosis. It is a day of global solidarity, collective action and hope.

In 2009, the MS International Federation (MSIF) and its members initiated the first World MS Day. An international day for MS helps to build a stronger, broader, global MS movement. The campaign provides MS organisations and people affected by MS with a flexible, global framework for national action. Participants can also use and adapt campaign tools and messages to achieve their own aims.

The My MS Diagnosis campaign 

The theme for World MS Day 2024-2026 is diagnosis. The name of the campaign is My MS Diagnosis and the tagline: navigating MS together. 

The My MS Diagnosis campaign advocates for early and accurate diagnosis for everyone living with MS. It highlights the global barriers to diagnosing MS, raising awareness by sharing real stories and data. We are calling for better MS training for healthcare professionals, new research, and clinical advancements in MS diagnosis. Together we are building informed, caring communities and systems that support people diagnosed with MS. 

Individuals and organisations can choose to focus on a variety of campaign angles when taking part in the My MS Diagnosis campaign, including: 

• Lobbying decision makers to improve early and accurate diagnosis for everyone living with MS 

• Highlighting global and national barriers to accessing an MS diagnosis 

• Building informed, caring communities and systems that support people diagnosed with MS 

• Raising awareness and building solidarity by sharing experiences of an MS diagnosis 

• Advocating for better MS training and awareness amongst healthcare professionals 

• Supporting new research and clinical advancements in MS diagnosis 

The campaign was developed by MSIF and its members, particularly with the support of the World MS Day Working Group, a global advisory body made of representatives from MS organisations and people with MS. 

‘Too many people with MS face delays in diagnosis because of low MS awareness and limited access to specialist services. This campaign shines a light on those barriers and calls for urgent action to ensure that every person with MS can access the right diagnosis and care’ Lydia Makaroff, CEO of the MS International Federation (MSIF).

MSIF provides a toolkit of free resources to help everyone to take part in World MS Day. Anyone can use these tools, or make their own, to create positive change in the lives of more than 2.8 million people around the world.

Go to the World MS Day website

A speaker at a World MS Day event in Yemen

World MS Day 2014 in Romania