Did you know that zebra stripes are as unique as our fingerprints?

They are born with dark skin and, as they grow, pigments develop to form their stripes.

No two zebras share the same pattern.

The famous saying often used by health sciences professors: “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras”, mistakenly emphasizes when making a diagnosis, to first consider the simplest and most likely explanation, rather than looking for the rare or complex ones. Inspired by this phrase, in 2008, the last day of February was declared Rare Disease Day, with the zebra chosen as a symbol of rarity for awareness and prevention campaigns.

Rare patients are zebras