One Decade of WTD!

In 2008, the European Thyroid Association (ETA) (www.eurothyroid.com) and American Thyroid Association (ATA) (www.thyroid.org) joined forces to create, for the first time ever, a day to be devoted globally to the Thyroid Gland and its numerous and often ‘invisible’ symptoms, and in 2009, a yearly commemorative ‘day of the thyroid’, May 25th, was firmly established as World Thyroid Day (WTD) and endorsed by all sister associations. Since that time it has been celebrated annually round the globe together with its extension, International Thyroid Awareness Week, which ‘surrounds’ the main Day.

WTD (and ITAW) is thus now commemorating a decade of dedication to people everywhere to enable them to ‘get acquainted’ with their thyroid, its problems and its needs, to patients worldwide who suffer from thyroid diseases, to the many doctors who commit themselves to providing disease treatment and management, to the researchers who continue to substantially contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge and therapeutics concerning this disorder, to all the sponsors, supporters and funders of thyroid research. We have as yet no statistical data regarding the impact of WTD among the various populations. We are pleased to say that during this decade, 2008-2018, gradually more countries are participating in this endeavor, and there has been a steady rise annually of open door events, face-to-face consultations and discussions with the public in towns and cities and screenings for thyroid diseases in remote regions, thereby making WTD a truly important event.

WTD is a call for action among populations everywhere to have thyroid function checked regularly, to increase education and awareness about the disease, to stimulate further precautionary action, all this in the hope of creating a broad-based prevention strategy capable of decreasing the incidence of thyroid pathology. It is also an urgent appeal for rigorous and coordinated research both to close gaps in our knowledge and to implement evidence-based policies.

The ETA, wholeheartedly supporting the aspirations and actions of WTD, once again invites its members to be energetically involved by setting up World Thyroid Day interactions with the public, by distributing information leaflets, by urging a greater call for action to support thyroid health and also if possible by organizing open door events in hospitals and clinics—in a word, to vigorously champion this important Day and Week! Moreover, all thus participating are encouraged to provide a selection of photos and material recording the activities held on 25th May, 2018, to our Secretariat to be posted on the web and published in the Newsletter.

In every way promote this Day!

Leonidas Duntas
On behalf of the Public Health Board of the European Thyroid Association