A show of hands from the Institute of Genetic Medicine today, to raise awareness of the international Rare Disease Day and the importance of rare disease research.

The image was shared via Twitter and email with the larger community today.

1 in 17 people in the EU is affected by a rare condition. That’s 3.5 million people in the UK alone! Although individually rare, together the rare conditions affect more people than cancer and AIDS combined. Let’s all unite to make the rare disease voice heard!