The Bermuda Multiple Sclerosis Society will be marking MS International Awareness Month with a tag day tomorrow.

Fundraisers will be stationed at around 30 locations across the Island offering carnations in exchange for a donation.

The Bermuda branch currently has 36 active members, including sufferers as well as “supporters” — friends and family members of those who have MS.

There are approximately two million people in the world who suffer from multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.

MS is caused by damage to the myelin sheath, the protective covering that surrounds nerve cells.

When this nerve covering is damaged, nerve signals slow down or stop. The nerve damage is caused by inflammation.

Inflammation occurs when the body’s own immune cells attack the nervous system. This can occur along any area of the brain, optic nerve, and spinal cord.

Funds raised by tomorrow’s ‘Buy a carnation, give a donation’ campaign will be used to support sufferers with medically related costs such as medication, personal hygiene and insurance as well as equipment such as canes, wheelchairs and air conditioners in order to make lives more comfortable.

Those wanting more information or want to learn more about the MS Society in Bermuda, can visit the group’s website www.mssociety.bm.