News

World Kidney Day (WKD) is just around the corner so it is time to get creative. We will be celebrating the day before the ISN World Congress of Nephrology (WCN), taking place in Cape Town, South Africa from March 13 to 17, 2015.

We are encouraging everybody attend- ing WCN 2015 to take part. During the congress, you can visit the WKD exhibition stand by following the footsteps from the ISN booth and join the WKD 2015 session on Kidney Health for All: The Role of Kidney Foundations at 15:45 on Sunday, March 15, 2015. Slip on your walking shoes for an evening stroll all for a good cause, organized by the Cape Kidney Association on March 12, 2015 at the Cape Town Sea Point Promenade at 18:00. WKD needs your participation and enthusiasm to grow as it does every year.

As always, we need you to get active on social media. Last year, 38 WKD Champions brought the campaign closer to local doctors by posting information and photos, helping organize events and serving as advocates with local health authorities. Their presence was so effective in building the glass of water campaign.

Last year, some 15,300 people raised a glass of water for healthy kidneys, posting pictures on Facebook and Twitter. This year we want you to drink a glass of water while encouraging others to do the same.

But, there is no time like the present to share you activity on the WKD map already. Remember the theme of this campaign is Kidney Health for All – everybody should have access to treatment wher- ever they come from.

Kidney Health for All

Some communities are at a greater risk of developing kidney disease due to their ethnic origin, socioeconomic status and/or where they live. Language barriers, education and literacy levels, low income, unemployment, lack of adequate health insurance, and certain culture- specific health beliefs and practices affect the disease’s development and limit access to preventive measures and treatment.

African, American Indian, Hispanic, Asian and Aboriginal populations also suffer from higher rates of diabetes and high blood pressure, the leading causes of chronic kidney disease (CKD). End stage renal disease (ESRD) rates are nearly four times higher among African Americans, with 33% of African Americans suffering from hyperten- sion. For instance in Australia, kidney disease is 10 times more common among the indigenous population.

More than ever, we want you to spread the word about how healthy living helps reduce risks and treatment, can slow or prevent the progression of kidney disease and decrease the growing incidence of associated diseases.

All the latest updates, information on campaign material and news are available right here.