February 27 looks unlike any other day for more than 5% of the global population. World Anosmia Day urges you to reconsider this invisible perception that disrupts lives. Without waiting for the solemn framework of a great historical cause, the event truly shines a light on the question: how can one continue to savor life without the slightest fragrance? From the early hours of this day, testimonies pour in and actions burst forth in more than 60 countries, no silence possible, the nose at the center of the debate.
World Anosmia Day, where does it all begin?
One might think that the loss of smell remains a topic for specialists, yet February 27 challenges this prejudice, as you have likely noticed around you. Between patient associations sounding the alarm and doctors sometimes helpless in the face of this disability, a day was needed to break the routine and force visibility. The World Health Organization validated the initiative, proof that institutional recognition never happens on its own, but at the cost of dense mobilization.
The institutional history, why has a global movement taken root?
In 2017, patient groups decided to occupy this vacant space in the calendar. The absence of smell, too often ignored, requires the harsh light of February 27. Anosmia is no longer relegated to the status of a minor dysfunction; everything shifts, olfactory disability demands institutional and public responses. Since 2018, World Anosmia Day has united and made waves in European media. By 2025, the mobilization will encroach upon entire continents, with France, Canada, Japan, and Australia distributing guides, organizing webinars, and workshops. February 27 transforms health habits; moreover, 5 to 10% of adults experience this sensory void according to the WHO. The post-Covid frenzy does not help, the epidemic has propelled anosmia to the rank of major concern. This day concentrates efforts, multiplies events, and publishes testimonies everywhere that refuse olfactory silence. It would be a shame to underestimate such momentum; now, institutions are taking their mission seriously, integrating the nose into campaigns that were easy to forget yesterday. February 27 draws the line between ignorance and official recognition.
| Country | Flagship event on February 27 | Participation rate |
|---|---|---|
| France | Webinars Anosmie.org, distribution of guides in Paris | Estimated 6500 participants in 2024 |
| Canada | Interuniversity conferences, media broadcasting CBC | 4100 participants |
| Japan | Campaigns in Tokyo hospitals, olfactory workshops | 2200 participants |
| Brazil | Open house days in 15 ENT centers in Sao Paulo | 3000 participants |
The major players and their real weight on global mobilization
You note the enthusiastic, almost frenetic energy that associations at the heart of this day exude. Anosmie.org, Fondation du Souffle, collectives, and patients come together, and it is no small matter. Just take a look at social media: it pulses, hashtags bloom, videos and testimonies flood in. No medical career looks away, even students get involved, driven by the fresh breath brought by this international mobilization. The alliance of private and public actors creates an unprecedented network. Where indifference once prevailed, doors finally open; hospitals, businesses, teachers, and families form, for the space of a day, one and the same team. February 27 succeeds in breaking the wall of silence, it has become essential.
The strength of global mobilization, the continuous growth of a borderless network
Double-digit growth, interactive campaigns everywhere, even where the subject seemed taboo. France is breaking records, with 70% more events between 2021 and 2025. Germany is hosting universities, the UK is digitizing medical training, Japan is awakening the youngest to the notion of olfactory disability. Brazil, discreetly, is bringing these campaigns into its shopping centers, not trivial. By 2025, more than 25,000 people will claim their presence during synchronized actions. The globalization of anosmia, almost improbable yesterday, is today reshaping the map of mobilizations. It should be noted that some territories still resist the wave, but the movement even seduces the most skeptical.
The realities of anosmia, how does the loss of smell disrupt daily life?
Far from a simple lack of sense, anosmia disrupts social relationships, the tasting experience, daily vigilance. The erased odors from the decor, security recedes, the family table changes its atmosphere. Few speak of it, but the discomfort is displayed without filter as soon as an olfactory test turns to silence. World Anosmia Day brings to light a deficiency often misunderstood, sometimes invisibilized even within families. What does the disappearance of this sense provoke, what medical avenues exist today?
The causes and vulnerable individuals, who is the alert of February 27 really addressing?
Discussions around you prove it, Covid-19 has passed, anosmia remains. Viruses lead the dance when it comes to erasing smell from the sensory table. No typical profile, age no longer protects, even the young awaken without olfactory memory. Skull trauma, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s: the culprits multiply. Those over 65 take the hit, but no group truly emerges unscathed. Inattention costs dearly, often, true awareness only arrives after months of wandering. The figures are chilling, 80% of Covid patients report a sudden anosmia according to Santé publique France, some do not regain their sense more than a year later. The alert becomes vital, prevention can no longer be missed.
The symptoms of anosmia, how to detect the undetectable?
The disappearance of odors is not limited to a few memories that evaporate. You no longer smell the slightest odor, your diet fades, vigilance decreases. Patients consult, multiply sensory tests. MRI, odor tests, questionnaires, the truth quickly imposes itself and the reality of anosmia takes the place it deserves. The loss of smell is never simple to diagnose; even today, some patients do not know the word, sometimes confuse hyposmia, ageusia. An early diagnosis sometimes saves self-esteem, wards off the fear of a more serious condition. Delay remains the norm, references blur, confusion reigns around the clinical utility of the nose, but some professionals still try to correct the course.
The impact on daily life, when the invisible disability isolates those it affects
The sensory silence does not only attack food or memory. The disorder impacts the state of mind, the way of acting, of protecting oneself. Food loses its flavor, social ties waver, even identity becomes fragile. The testimony of Élise, 32, sheds light on this inner void, “I understood that I would never smell toasted bread again, I lost my appetite, I felt isolated, my family took time to grasp the importance of this invisible absence.” The WHO now officially calls on public authorities, anxiety becomes the companion of many patients, and sometimes depression takes root. The journey of the anosmic resembles a psychological maze. Society is barely waking up, trying to understand what it means to live without smell.
The actions of February 27 and resources to support the loss of smell
You noted? This day is not limited to a conference or a poster in a waiting room.
The events and the solidarity energy of February 27
Olfactory workshops in hospitals, connected conferences, reports, we can no longer count the initiatives that transform this day into a laboratory of ideas and exchanges. Information stands overflow in shopping centers, cultural venues mobilize alongside doctors and patients. In Montreal, in Tokyo, or in European capitals, no one remains on the sidelines. France Télévisions is getting involved, Anosmie.org is assembling a large community online. The associative ecosystem is growing, faces meet, and the word takes shape in an often moving exchange about the absence of smell.
- Webinars available in three languages, widely broadcast on February 27
- Podcasts produced with the help of ENT specialists and volunteer patients
- Ephemeral stands allowing free smell tests in the city
The resources and support for life without smell
Health actors have accelerated the creation of listening and support portals, you are not alone in facing olfactory silence. Downloadable practical guides, secure forums, podcasts, and rehabilitation programs are flourishing. INSERM is renewing its brochures, health insurance funds educational campaigns. A phone line active all year accompanies the first hours of anxiety and practical questions. Doctors are adapting their training, patients can now participate in free workshops. Resources are no longer dwindling, solidarity is settling in.
Institutional recognition, progress or delay in the fight against anosmia?
In the face of the tidal wave that shakes society, medical and political authorities are finally aligning with the concrete reality of patients. No hesitation, February 27 now holds a prominent place in national sensory health plans.
The official commitment, a frank support stemming from World Anosmia Day
The Ministry of Health, the Order of Doctors, the WHO, the administrative machine is running at full speed to recognize this sensory loss. By 2025, World Anosmia Day will appear in all official guides, calls for projects and press releases now encourage early detection. The French government website relays care starting in January, the WHO multiplies recommendations to better train doctors.
The advances and challenges, still imperfect care
You thought that olfactory rehabilitation belonged to the future, surprise, Strasbourg and Lyon are already innovating in this area. But social integration is lagging, the collective gaze evolves slowly, the Inserm campaign demands even more effort. No miracle remedy in sight, despite new treatments being tested. The lack of specialists slows down the care pathway, the demand for a status of sensory disability in administrative procedures is stalling. The collective momentum inspired by World Anosmia Day is trying to bridge the gap between awareness and real action.
The scent of memory that fades, the table set without flavor, nothing is completely lost, perhaps. February 27 returns, insists, questions: will society take seriously what remains invisible to everyone’s eyes? The olfactory silence no longer has the final word, it seems.
