Australia is among the countries with the highest prevalence rates of atopic dermatitis/atopic eczema in the world. This skin disease disproportionately targets young people and adolescents, affecting up to 30% of children.  

Due to the price of prescription medications, specialty clothing, skincare products and other essentials, young people and their families incur healthcare costs of up to $7K annually that are currently not covered by the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).  

The current lack of financial support and resources saddle youth with debt, making it difficult to become independent adults. Since the mean age of diagnosis is six years old, over a lifetime, eczema patients can spend over a quarter of a million dollars on treatments that often do not work.  

Recent research led by the Department of Dermatology, St Leonards, showed that AD/AE patients have a high disease burden, which extends across multiple facets, and are poorly controlled with existing therapies. As of 2019, the largest study in Australia on the psychological impacts of this disease included only 100 participants, even though over 1 million Australians suffer from it.  

While some cost-prohibitive medications have been added to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) in recent years, this petition calls on the Ministers of the Department of Health and Aged Care to action:

1. More investment in research and development of effective treatments.
2. More subsidised medications via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
3. More financial support for sufferers and their carers through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).  

With 1 in 3 children in Australia managing this debilitating and costly disease, you mostly likely know an atopic eczema sufferer yourself. Sign this petition for all the Australian children and young adults, and the children that will continue to be diagnosed with it and left with little to no government support for out-of-pocket expenses or resulting psychological impacts.  

This campaign is led by the Eczema Association of Australasia Inc (EAA).