World Kidney Day

World Kidney Day is a global healthcare event celebrated on the second Thursday in March every year since 2006. The objective is to bring together the patients suffering from kidney diseases. In addition, the day focuses on awareness of our amazing kidneys by educating people about their important role in maintaining health. The awareness color associated with kidney disease is green. The color associated with kidney cancer is orange. Enamel pins, fabric ribbons, and silicone wristbands are available in both colors on the Personalized Cause website. In addition, all awareness products are offered in both a personalized and non-personalized version. Some are available in bulk, such as the fabric ribbons, and others are available in individual quantities of one.

Non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, chronic lung diseases, and chronic kidney diseases are leading causes of death and disabilities worldwide. This is significantly so in low- and middle-income countries.

Chronic Kidney Disease – Learn More on World Kidney Day!

850 million people worldwide have chronic kidney disease. This is both locally and globally. Caring for them is especially problematic when their ability to access proper diagnostic services, treatments, and care is hindered by things such as natural disasters.

In recent years, the number of disastrous events has increased dramatically. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic caused interruptions in medical care. And the earthquake in the Syrian-Turkish border region also caused problems for those suffering from chronic kidney disease. This results in the dramatic loss of thousands of people and leaves many thousands more without homes. These disasters have strained the patient community and health systems. It is difficult to provide appropriate access to care when health service capacity is limited. This is due to higher priority treatments or services that are no longer accessible due to disrupted infrastructure access.

People with kidney disease are on the front lines when it comes to dealing with emergencies. Their medical needs are complex and require ongoing care.

Supporting the vulnerable!

Putting non-communicable diseases on the global political agenda, with a focus on prevention and early detection, is imperative.

On World Kidney Day, kidney organizations and the nephrology community actively engage in making the most of and advocating for:

• Policymakers to adopt integrated health strategies that prioritize prevention, early detection, and management of non-communicable diseases, including kidney disease.
• Health care services to provide equitable and proper access to care for chronic patients in times of emergency.
• Governments to include emergency preparedness plans in the management and detection of non-communicable diseases and favor the prevention of these conditions.
• Patients to plan for emergencies by preparing an emergency kit that includes food, water, medical supplies, and medical records.

To raise awareness about the impact of disastrous events on people living with kidney disease, World Kidney Day encourages people across the globe to conduct their own awareness raising activities. This is either online or in-person. World Kidney Day recommends people use social media to spread the word and mention #WorldKidneyDay or tag @worldkidneyday in their posts. It’s important to share World Kidney Day content with a wide audience.

Reminding the world of the importance of our kidneys is the main objective of the World Kidney Day campaign. World Kidney Day invites everyone to take part in the #ShowYourKidneys challenge and use World Kidney Day resources and materials, such as the social media toolkit and activities guide to help WKD advocates find inspiration for their awareness raising social media campaign or activity.

Let’s celebrate together and focus on the importance of our kidneys. And, simultaneously, raise awareness about the impact of disastrous events on people living with kidney disease.