The ninth annual Carnation Day to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society of Bermuda will be held on Friday, May 9.

Silk carnations will again be given out throughout the Island to people who generously lend their support.

The money raised will be used to assist members with medical costs, primarily Interferon-type drugs (Avonex), wheelchairs, and other supplies that ease the discomfort of the disease.

The MS Society offers support to both those suffering from the disease as well as their supporters and care givers.

The Society also believes that there are many more MS sufferers in Bermuda than have admitted having the disease, for whatever reasons, or who have joined the Society.

MS is a chronic, sometimes disabling, disease of the central nervous system in which the simplest everyday tasks can no longer be taken for granted.

The cause is unknown but scientists theorise it is the result of a viral infection, initiating a series of reactions culminating in the immune system attacking the myelin sheath, the insulation protecting the nerve fibres of the body.

Symptoms vary from individual to individual and from very mild, such as tingling and numbness of the skin and limbs, loss of co-ordination, blurred vision, fatigue, difficulty with walking, muscle spasms, stiff muscles, memory loss, dizziness, loss of bladder control and depression, to more serious problems such as vision loss and paralysis.

MS usually affects people between the ages of 20 and 40 and, for unknown reasons, occurs more commonly in women.

Because of the varied symptoms, diagnosis is usually a process of elimination. No one test is diagnostic but an MRI is the most sensitive technique with a new type of MRI being able to detect MS earlier.

Treatment of the disease is varied, ranging from Corticosteroids, to Interferon type drugs, like Avonex, which provide relief for acute attacks and which can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks, to muscle relaxants which aid in reducing spasms while other medications help combat depression and fatigue.

Other alternative treatments include physiotherapy, exercise programmes, attention to diet and adequate rest. A new drug, Antegren, has been shown useful in reducing the lesions on the myelin sheath.

There is no way to predict when or even if attacks will reoccur. Patients with MS can go into remission, experiencing no symptoms and functioning normally for long periods of time.

Others continually experience symptoms in varrying degrees. MS affects people so differently it's hard to make generalisations. However, MS is neither contagious nor fatal.

Meetings are held the first Monday of each month at St Mark's Hall, Smiths and welcome is extended to anyone interested. More information is also available from 297 0575 and 293 2649.