On Saturday 29 February - a rare day - President Higgins hosted a gathering of Rare Disease Families to mark International Rare Disease Day 2020.
The President invited a large number of Rare Disease patients and their families to Áras an Uachtaráin.
A rare disease is defined as a disease having a prevalence of fewer than 5 cases for every 10,000 persons. There are currently some 8,000 described rare diseases, and it is estimated that there are up to 300,000 individuals in Ireland living with a rare disease.
See: president.ie/en/diary/details...