Superheroes Swing Into Action For Multiple Sclerosis

Date: Oct-12-2012Make way Batman and Spiderman - five new comic book superheroes with the unlikely names of Axon, Gastro, Skinderella, Pump and Chi are helping children around the world understand the complexities of multiple sclerosis - a condition which can baffle leading medical specialists.

The superhero characters are the brainchild of Dr Kate Hersov and Dr Kim Chilman-Blair - paediatric doctors who became increasingly frustrated at the lack of good educational resources for children suffering chronic illness, or for children whose parents were affected by such illness.

Their initiative has received some impressive backing - even the eminent British Medical Journal has called their comics a 'revolutionary medium' for children to learn about disease and disability. The BMJ notes that comics can convey educational messages about serious subjects in a fun and engaging way.

There five superheroes, each a 'specialist' in a different part of the body, take children on an adventurous journey around Mediland - a living, moving planet shaped like the human body.

The multiple sclerosis offering is part of a growing portfolio of comic books, each targeted for a different disease or clinical procedure. More than 30 titles have now been translated into 17
languages and distributed in 35 countries. The comics are aimed at children between the ages of 8 and 15.

The superhero team tackle subjects as diverse as breast cancer, brain tumors, cystic fibrosis and organ transplants. The multiple sclerosis comic has been sponsored by Novartis, and is being made available to doctors attending the 28th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in MS (ECTRIMS), held in Lyon France. Novartis manufacture an MS drug called Gilenya , (fingolimod) so could there be a conflict of interest?

According to Medikidz co-founder Dr Kate Hersov, what really matters is the fundraiser's commitment to the cause, the good that is being done and the net positive result. The comics are written independently of the sponsor. Medikidz also has a Medical Advisory Board comprising more than 50 of the world's leading specialists and health professionals. The company has now distributed more than one million comic books and many more diseases are scheduled for the
superhero treatment.

The MS comic book was written by Dr Kim Chilman-Blair and follows a teenager whose mother is in the early stages of MS. The superhero team explain how MS develops, how the disease might progress and its likely impact on the family. It does not mention any specific treatments and makes clear that there is currently no cure for MS.

Written by Ian Mason PhD

View drug information on Gilenya.

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