Benidorm joins Aerbeco to commemorate World Rare Disease Day

Benidorm City Council commemorated World Rare Disease Day today, which is celebrated tomorrow, February 28, with the reading of a manifesto in the Plaza de SS MM Reyes de España (Square of Their Majesties the Kings of Spain). The event was attended by the city's mayor, Toni Pérez; numerous members of the local council, including the councillors for Health and Social Welfare, Ana Pellicer and Ángela Zaragozí; and regional deputy José Ramón González de Zárate.

The president of Aerbeco, the regional association of people affected by these diseases, Juan Miguel Martínez Bueno, read the 2026 manifesto, along with Benidorm-born scientist and researcher Gema Martínez Navarrete. Both emphasised that rare diseases are those "whose prevalence is below 5 cases per 10,000 inhabitants" and lamented the delays in diagnosis or even the lack of diagnosis and treatment for many of them.

This year, both Aerbeco and the Spanish Federation of Rare Diseases (FEDER) have focused on the people who care for patients with rare diseases, promoting and driving a campaign called "Because Every Person Matters" to achieve social transformation with the support of public institutions. The three objectives of this campaign are: "to promote research and knowledge, to have more information about the origin, evolution, treatment, and prognosis of rare diseases"; "to ensure rapid and adequate access to diagnostic tests, to avoid the long and arduous journey for families and prepare them for the psychosocial impact" these diseases cause; and "to achieve access to treatments and therapies, so that everyone can access safe and effective medications."

Mayor Toni Pérez, on behalf of the entire city, conveyed Benidorm's support for people with rare diseases and their caregivers, and joined the demands of the community to improve the health and quality of life of those affected.