How children learn to deal with their rare disease

© Vodopiutz/MedUni Wien - Almost every school class has a child with one of around 8,000 rare diseases. The disease itself is not the only burden that the young patients have to bear. To help them deal with their psychological and social problems, MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital have launched a unique programme at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine: "Education and Care in RARE" aims to help children better understand their disease and cope with their everyday lives as well as possible. February is Rare Disease Day. "Education and Care in RARE" was developed by an interdisciplinary team led by Julia Vodopiutz at the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital. Rare diseases are genetic, chronic and often life-threatening illnesses that predominantly affect children and adolescents. At the highly specialised Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics (CCP) of MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital alone, around 5,000 young patients are currently being treated and cared for.