Parkinson’s Europe is proud to be the founders of World Parkinson’s Day (WPD).
We launched this yearly awareness day back in April 1997 (back when were called the European Parkinson’s Disease Association or EPDA), and the event was co-sponsored by the World Health Organisation (WHO), .
Why April 11th?
This date commemorates the birthday of Dr James Parkinson (1755-1824), the London doctor who gives Parkinson’s its name when it was first recognised as a medical condition in 1817, thanks to his famous ‘Essay on the Shaking Palsy’.
April 11th 1997: the first World Parkinson’s Day
The inaugural WPD event in 1997 marked the launch of the Parkinson’s Europe Charter, which provided the central focus and opportunity for people with Parkinson’s, their families and healthcare professionals to work together to promote awareness and increase the profile of Parkinson’s.
The Charter gained the support of influential people around the world including UK royals HRH Princess Margaret and Princess Diana, UK prime ministers John Major and Tony Blair, Pope John Paul II, Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti and US boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
As a result of WPD 1997, the WHO formed the Working Group on Parkinson’s Disease in May 1997. This led to the development of the first Global Declaration on Parkinson’s Disease launched in Mumbai, India in December 2003 which aimed to encourage a change in attitude towards Parkinson’s.
The Parkinson’s tulip symbol
During the 9th WPD conference held in Luxembourg in 2005, the red tulip was adopted as the official symbol for the disease.
Each year there are now many World Day celebrations around the world as people come together on 11 April to raise awareness of Parkinson’s. Activities include online awareness campaigns, webinars, conferences, wellbeing events, fundraisers and much more.