<h5>What is the ALS Association?</h5>  <p>The ALS Association is a US-based organisation whose primary mission is to find new cures and treatments for ALS disease. It also works for the empowerment of people living with ALS.</p>
<p>ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord. It is fatal and has no cure yet. 
Its symptoms include muscle weakness and paralysis, especially of the mouth, arms, hands, legs, and feet. People affected by ALS can live anywhere between 2 to 10 years, depending on the severity of their symptoms.
It mainly affects people between the ages of 40-70, even though there have been instances of twenty and thirty-year-olds contracting it. It is more common in men.</p> <h5>What was the Ice Bucket Challenge?</h5>  <p>The Ice Bucket Challenge was a social media trend launched by the ALS Association in 2014 to raise awareness about ALS disease. The challenge saw people pouring a bucket of icy-cold water over themselves. </p>
<p>While some people helped spread the word about ALS through video uploads, others pledged donations towards the noble cause. The money raised from this challenge helped the ALS Association fund research for a new medicine called AMX0035. </p>
<p>AMX0035 does not cure the disease but helps slow its progression. It will help prolong the life of ALS patients by a few years. 
</p> <h5>Has India experimented with the idea of voluntary donations to help patients?</h5>  <p>The Government of India has recently launched the Nikshay Mitra initiative, which forms a part of their effort to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) from India by 2025.</p>
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The Nikshay portal will help connect donors with patients undergoing treatment for TB. Elected MLAs/MPs, NGOs, public or private organisations, and individuals can become donors. They can adopt a block, ward, district, group of patients or individual patient. 
</p> <h5>What is the importance of voluntary donations?</h5>  <p>Treating rare and chronic diseases is quite costly and time-consuming. Ordinary people, who contract such disorders, have to rely on monetary assistance from the government, banks, or family members to fund their therapies.</p>
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Since these ailments affect fewer people, private pharmaceutical companies neither conduct research nor make medicines for them. Our governments often lack the resources to fund the treatments of a large number of patients. </p>
<p>Thus, voluntary donations become essential means of helping people suffering from rare diseases.</p>
<p>Taking care of each other is part of what makes us human. Have you ever acted as a donor? If yes, then what kind of donation did you make? Do let us know in the comments.
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The viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, which took over social media in 2014, has made it possible for the ALS Association to fund research for new medicine. Let’s read to know more!

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Funds New ALS Medicine

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ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Funds New ALS Medicine

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