World Brain Day 2020: Move together to end Parkinson's disease

Dear Editor,

Neurological disorders are the leading cause of disability worldwide [1]. The latest iteration of the global burden of neurological diseases (GBD) is a true reflection of the current global impact of neurological disorders [2]. The collaborators noted 9.0 million deaths (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 8.8–9.4) and 16.5% (16.1–17.0) of global deaths due to neurological disorders, making them the second leading cause of death after heart disease [1]. It is worth noting that 276 million (247–308) disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were caused by neurological disorders [1].

The Global Burden of Disease 2016 Parkinson's disease collaborators recorded the size of the problem as 6.1 million individuals with PD globally [3]. This was in comparison to 2.5 million people with PD in 1990. In the last two decades, the burden of Parkinson's disease (PD) has more than doubled [4]. This is likely to be secondary to aging, and long duration of the disease itself. The trend of doubling the numbers of PD cases is alarming. It will not take too long to reach 12 million cases.

While the comorbid diagnosis of PD in itself seems not to be a risk factor for adverse outcomes in the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community must be on alert to the possibility of long-term neurological disorders affecting the brain [5].

In this context, the World Federation of Neurology's World Brain Day campaign is crucial for neurology, health care professionals and above all for patients, families and carers. World Brain Day's theme this year is “Move Together to End Parkinson's Disease,” and the campaign will culminate on July 22, 2020. It is being organized by the WFN with the partnership of the International Parkinson's and Movement Disorder Society (MDS).

The Global Neurology Alliance (GNA) is ideally poised to advise key organizations such as the WHO and national governments as they work together to tackle the world's leading cause of disability https://wfneurology.org/global-neurology-alliance.

The World Brain Day campaign is an ideal opportunity for the members of the GNA to formulate, organize and deliver effective policies and actions worldwide around the chosen theme for the year. Our organizations must mobilize, raise awareness of this threat and prepare measures at local, national, regional, and global levels to ensure readiness for fast and efficient action.

1. WBD global campaign from 2014 to present

The first World Brain Day (WBD) was initiated on July 22, 2014 with the purpose to raise awareness and advocacy for all neurological disorders and increase attention to the importance of brain health. For each successive WBD, the WFN has chosen a topic and promoted WBD by providing educational material, resources and press support to its 122 member societies. For several topics, the WFN has partnered with other international organizations in the way it has with MDS this year. WFN member societies and those of the broader Global Neurology Alliance are encouraged to use WBD and the materials available to jointly advocate for the relevant disease featured each year.

The previous World Brain Day topics were Our Brains, Our Future in 2014, Epilepsy (partnering with the International League Against Epilepsy) in 2015, Brain Health and the Aging Population in 2016, “Stroke is a Brain Attack – prevent it and treat it” (partnering with the World Stroke Organization) in 2017, Clean Air for Brain Health in 2018, and Migraine, the Painful Truth (partnering with the International Headache Society) in 2019.

On July 22, it is hoped that most of the WFN's 122 national member associations and MDS members will participate in public awareness programs, virtual symposia, webinars, and other educational and advocacy activities, as well as engage on social media via Facebook Live and Twitter chats in their own countries and regions to highlight the key issues related to Parkinson's disease. The WFN has worked jointly with MDS to generate a WBD toolkit that includes resources for those who will join the campaign.

MDS is a professional society of more than 8500 clinicians, scientists and other healthcare professionals dedicated to improving the care of patients with movement disorders through education and research. Its four regional sections representing the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and Africa elaborate on the critical importance of education, collaboration, and advocacy. The African Academy of Neurology (AFAN), Pan American Federation of Neurological Societies (PAFNS), Australasian and Oceanian Association of Neurology (AOAN), Pan Arab Union of Neurological Societies (PAUNS), American Academy of Neurology (AAN) and the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) are also partnering with the WBD 2020 campaign.

The WBD committee comprises both WFN and MDS members and staff who have taken part in regular teleconferences since early 2020 with the aim of coordinating efforts and moving together to end Parkinson's disease. Important MDS educational resources are available to WFN members throughout the WBD 2020 campaign (Table 1 ).

Table 1.

World Brain day 2020 Key Messages.

Prevalence	Parkinson's disease is a chronic, neurodegenerative brain disease that affects more than 7 million people of all ages worldwide, and its prevalence continues to increase.
Disability	Parkinson's disease is a whole-body disease that affects movement and almost all aspects of brain function, with symptoms worsening over time.
Standard of care	Access to quality neurological care, life-changing treatments, and essential medication is unavailable in many parts of the world
Research	Additional resources are needed to help unlock the cause, onset, progression, and treatment of this disease across all ages.
Advocacy	Let us work together to diagnose earlier, treat more effectively, and improve the lives of both those living with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers.

We invite all neurologists, movement disorders specialists and colleagues, neurology nurses and allied health professionals, neuroscientists, advocacy organizations, bloggers, patient support groups, and others to join this ambitious campaign.

The WFN is partnering with a professional public relations agency throughout the 2020 WBD campaign. For all inquiries, please contact wbd2020@wfneurology.org or Jade Levy, WFN Education Project Coordinator, at jade@wfneurology.org for further information.

2. WBD 2020 key messages

Interested parties may download banner ads, social media graphics and content, videos and more from the WBD website and share across their networks. The WBD 2020 team is preparing for a global live webinar on July 22, 2020 at 1:00 am Eastern Standard time with ample opportunity for live questions and answers.

We invite you to talk about WBD at every opportunity. Have flyers on WBD in your consulting rooms. Add a line about WBD to your email signature. Talk about WBD in your letters to primary care doctors. Talk about WBD when you teach residents and medical students using our slide kit or excellent educational material available through the MDS website.

Let us do our very best to advocate [6,7] and complete the task at hand; let us move together to end Parkinson's disease.