WORLD HAEMOPHILIA DAY April 17 Supported by the World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH), hemophilia awareness day was first established in 1989. The date of 17th April was chosen to honor Frank Schnabel the founder of WFH, whose birthday falls on the same date. It is a condition in which bleeding is prolonged and is usually present from birth and is normally inherited; You can't 'catch' hemophilia or pass it onto others. In some rare instances, hemophilia may develop later in life (typically affecting people in the 50+ age group). When a person without hemophilia bleeds, normal levels of clotting factor, a protein in the blood, causes the blood to clot and stops the bleeding. However, hemophiliacs (people with hemophilia) have lower levels of clotting factor in the the blood and bleeding continues for much longer periods. According to the World Federation of Hemophilia, about 1 in every 1000 person has a bleeding disorder and many are left untreated. The aim of World Hemophilia Day is to raise awareness about hemophilia and increase the availability of treatments for this condition around the world. Click on the following links to see further details: PROFILE     CROSSWORD     QUIZ     VIDEOS