Princess Muna attends World Alzheimer Conference

AMMAN — HRH Princess Muna Al Hussein, Honourary Ambassador for Alzheimer’s Disease International, on Sunday attended the launching of the World Alzheimer’s Conference in Poland’s Krakow.

Addressing the gathering, Princess Muna highlighted the global impact of Alzheimer’s disease, which affects millions of people worldwide, but has a relatively limited impact in the MENA region, according to the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

She emphasised the need for Jordan to develop a national strategy to combat Alzheimer’s disease and reaffirmed her commitment to raising awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and to supporting people with the disease, their families, and caregivers.

Princess Muna is the first ambassador for Alzheimer’s Disease International Orginisation from the Middle East and the fourth in the world, following Queen Silvia of Sweden, Queen Sofia of Spain, and former Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera.

According to the World Health Organisation, approximately 55 million people worldwide are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and this number is expected to rise to 139 million by 2050.  

In the MENA region, around 3 million people are currently living with Alzheimer’s, a figure that is expected to increase by 367 percent to more than 13.8 million cases by 2050.

Alzheimer-related challenges in Jordan include a lack of social awareness and limited resources for diagnosis, treatment, and care. Efforts are under way by the government and health organizations to increase awareness and resources.