Calling on ALL healthcare teams – show your stripes for Rare Disease Day!

Calling all healthcare professionals… dig out your stripey socks and get ready to ‘show your stripes’ as we approach Rare Disease Day on 28th February. Medics for Rare Disease is asking clinicians, allied healthcare professionals and healthcare students to join forces, to help drive rare disease awareness in the run up to the big day!

Stripey socks and selfies

Getting involved is easy. Just wear some stripey socks and post a selfie on Instagram or LinkedIn with the hashtag #ShowYourStripes and tag @MedicsForRare. All tagged photos will be uploaded to an online gallery that will remain a visual show of support to those people living with rare conditions. Not on social media? No problem, just email your pictures to hello@m4rd.org.

Show off those stripes all week!

Friday 28th is Rare Disease Day but we encourage you to show your stripes on whatever shifts you may be working that week, from Monday 24th February! Team pictures and creative selfies are welcome and there will be awards for the most impressive images. For inspiration, check out last year’s gallery here.

Awareness is Key

Rare diseases are individually rare but collectively common, affecting 3.5 million people in the UK. Patients with rare disease face similar challenges, waiting an average of 5 years to reach diagnosis. Raising healthcare professional awareness about rare disease is key to a timely diagnosis and better outcomes. 

Why the stripes?

The zebra was adopted as a symbol of the rare disease community. This is thanks to the now archaic medical adage ‘when you hear hooves, think horse not zebra’, that still impacts clinical decision-making today.

Show your support, #ShowYourStripes!

About Medics for Rare Disease

Medics for Rare Disease* is a charity registered in England and Wales, with a mission to shape a medical profession that can provide people living with rare conditions a timely diagnosis and excellent care. It does this through three key pillars:

• Advocating a single-discipline approach to rare disease education for all medical professionals
• Defining excellence in rare disease medical training in the UK
• Building a network of Ambassadors to expand the reach of Rare Disease training

To find out more visit www.m4rd.org.

Medics for Rare Disease partners with commercial companies in order to receive funding and to progress its mission. The charity works independently from these companies. Sponsorship does not equate to endorsement of any company or its products. To find out more visit www.m4rd.org/sponsors

Thank you to our 2025 Partners for supporting the work of the charity: Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease, Amicus Therapeutics, Kyowa Kirin, Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK, Parexel, SOBI, Takeda UK & Ultragenyx. 

*Medics for Rare Disease is the working name for Medics 4 Rare Diseases – a charity registered in England and Wales. Charity number 1183996. Registered address: Medics 4 Rare Diseases, Unit 12, Treadaway Technical Centre, Treadaway Hill, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP10 9RS.