Rare Disease Day 2026

Rare Disease Day February 28, 2026 The National Organization for Rare Disorders organizes a nationwide observance of Rare Disease Day on the last day of February each year, which this year is February 28th. There are over 10,000 diseases and conditions considered rare in the United States (each affecting fewer than 200,000 Americans), according to the National Institutes of Health. While each of these diseases may affect a small number of people, rare diseases as a group affect almost 30 million, or about one in ten, Americans. Many rare diseases are serious and debilitating conditions that have a significant impact on the lives of those affected. Living with a rare disease is made harder by the fact that there is often low profit potential for developing treatments for uncommon illnesses, and therefore very little research is done. While hundreds of drugs and biologics have been approved for the treatment of rare diseases according to the Food and Drug Administration, most of the known rare diseases are still without FDA-approved treatments. Individuals and families affected by rare diseases often experience additional difficulties such as diagnosis delay, difficulty finding a medical expert, and lack of access to treatments or ancillary services. While the public is familiar with some rare diseases, many patients and families affected by less widely known rare diseases bear a large share of the burden of funding research and raising public awareness to support the search for treatments. We, the City Council of the City of Boulder, Colorado, declare February 28, 2026, as

Rare Disease Day and encourage all community members to learn more about rare diseases, raise awareness of their impacts on patients and families, and stand with those impacted by rare diseases as they pursue research funding and treatment.

_____________________________ Aaron Brockett, Mayor