 |
 |
Hi everyone, I'd like to echo Bob Dolezal's comment about the contributions of Judith (and janet and many others who post important news stories on the list). On Bob's questions regarding the 7 million figure (and the usual age of diagnosis), this only points up a real problem facing Parkinson's and our efforts to fund research. The simple fact is that we don't really know how many people have Parkinson's. Our numbers are getting a little better, but the disparities in estimates can't help our arguments. Here in Atlantic Canada we face the same uncertainties about numbers. A recent story in the local press about a municipal councillor who has been diagnosed with ALS shocked me. ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, has a very high profile in the community. I suspect this is even stronger in the U.S. What shocked me was not just the news about a councillor I know, but the number of ALS patients in Nova Scotia. The news story said there were only 70 ALS patients in a province of about 900 000 people. Our conservative estimate for Parkinsonians is about 2000 people (with some people estimating the number as high as 5000). Yet public awareness about Parkinson's is far weaker than the public's understanding of ALS. We just don't do our job very well, I'm afraid. Best to all & TTFN Peter ************************************************************************** Peter Kidd Learning Materials Consulting Services 62 Coronation Avenue, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3N 2M6 Canada Tel/FAX: (902) 443-4262 Email: [log in to unmask] URL: http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~aa163/peterkidd.html >