Key Findings
In a normal (non-disrupted) year, the annual cost of MS to Canada is significant, totaling more than $3.4 billion in direct health costs, productivity loss and other costs.
The COVID-19 disruption caused considerable health service backlogs as well as delays in both diagnosis and treatment, resulting in worse outcomes for Canadians living with MS, including more rapid disease progression and accumulation of disability.
Delayed diagnosis and disrupted treatment will generate an additional $578.2 million in MS-related health system expenditure, productivity losses, and lost wellbeing between 2020 and 2024.
These additional health and economic costs of the COVID-19 disruption are expected to continue into the future, unless we take bold action now to boost MS specialist care and invest in interventions to prevent MS.
Why does this matter?
Every day, people with MS wake up to adversity and do everything in their power to persevere…
The woman with progressive MS who struggles to button her shirt in the morning yet is determined to dance at her granddaughter’s wedding.
The high school athlete who ignores the tingling and numbness in his legs to rally his team to victory.
The lawyer with blurred vision and foggy thoughts. The father struggling to say his child’s name. The avid cyclist feeling her balance go.
Now add additional pandemic disruptions on top of these ongoing daily challenges.
Early diagnosis and timely intervention with the most effective treatment available is key to protecting brain health, preserving function, and minimizing the impact on our healthcare system.
The COVID-19 gap will cost Canada’s health care systems more in the future, to treat a disease that could have been diagnosed earlier, and treated faster.
"Living through the pandemic was challenging for all Canadians, but for me, living with MS gave me extra things to worry about. MS is very isolating in itself, but throw in government restrictions and limited health care access and I began to feel very alone with my disease. I began to worry about "what if's" – What if I had a relapse and couldn't access my neurologist or couldn't get into an emergency ward... What if I needed a mobility aid... What if I couldn't access vaccinations? The pandemic was a frightening and uncertain time for me."
— Barb, Diagnosed 2011, MB
The COVID-19 gap has led to a health services backlog and accumulation on unmet health needs for Canadians living with MS. It has led to progression of MS in many Canadians, due to delayed or halted treatment – this will impact these individuals and their families’ quality of life and livelihood.
Delays and changes to treatment can lead to irreversible disease progression and disability.
Canada has one of the world’s highest rates of MS in the world. It is the most common neurological disease among young Canadians, and it affects women at three times the rate it affects men.
"It is very tough to receive a life-altering diagnosis, let alone when the world shuts down. The first few months after diagnosis are paramount to learn how to live with MS. When the necessary supports are taken away and you are isolated from the world, it feels like a mountain to climb."
— Jorge, Diagnosed 2019, NS
Where do we go from here?
We can’t undo all the damage from COVID-19, but we can halt it.
Governments can step up – and ultimately save themselves money – by doing these things:
- Invest $15 million in research funding that focuses on prevention and treatment strategies, building on the breakthrough discovery linking Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) to MS
- And let’s close the COVID-19 gap. Let’s boost MS specialist care by funding additional MS healthcare professionals - from MS nurses to neurologists.
Here’s how you can help.
We are calling on all governments to take bold action now and invest in MS research to prevent MS and to close the COVID-19 gap by boosting MS specialist care.