Researchers discovered that throughout the previous two years, there were many spikes in interest in motor neurone disease (MND) on the internet. These spikes corresponded with the former senior news reporter of RTÉ making public statements on his health.

One of the most advantageous effects of “celebrity consumerism,” according to the research whose conclusions are published in the Irish Journal of Medical Science, is a greater public awareness of an illness or hereditary condition brought about by celebrity health disclosures.

It gave instances such as actress Angelina Jolie's disclosure of her BRCA 1 gene and subsequent mastectomy, which sparked a global spike in referrals to genetic clinics and was coined the “Angelina effect.”

Comparably, Hugh Jackman and Selena Gomez's health disclosures showed that people were becoming more aware of conditions like basal cell carcinoma and lupus, respectively.

Michael Curran of the University of Galway's School of Medicine, one of the report's authors, stated that they were interested in finding out how the reporter's diagnosis affected the general public's knowledge of motor neuron disease.

They examined data from Ireland's online searches for the illness from January 2021 to October 2023.

Researchers discovered that the earliest and biggest spike in interest happened in 2021 from October 24 and October 30, which coincided with Mr. Bird's announcement of his MND diagnosis on his Twitter account.

His appearance on RTÉ's Late Late Show on December 11, 2021, corresponded with a second rise, and his successful ascent of Croagh Patrick in April 2022 led to a third increase.

According to the study, comparable spikes were found in the findings of a different examination of internet searches for “Charlie Bird” and “motor neurone disease,” and these results smoothly corresponded with the other spikes in interest in the condition.

Additionally, a fourth spike was detected between January 2 and January 8, 2022, and it was associated with the broadcaster's “Climb with Charlie” campaign, which he started on Twitter.

The results, according to Dr. Curran, showed Mr. Bird's “unquestionable impact” on increasing public knowledge of the illness in the Republic.

Dr. Curran stated, “Charlie Bird has demonstrated the positive impact a high-profile broadcaster can have on public health awareness by sharing his experiences of living with MND.”

“Mr. Bird has galvanised his efforts by raising much-needed funds for charity, in addition to raising awareness of MND in Ireland,” the speaker continued.

With his “Climb with Charlie” campaign, the former RTÉ journalist has collected over €3.6 million for Pieta and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association. He was recognised for this effort last month at the Global Alliance for World Public Relations and Communication Awards.

Last week, Mr. Bird used his Twitter account to notify the world that he was in need of a feeding tube because his MND was “changing fast.”

The 74-year-old presenter disclosed that he will soon require a mobility aid to go around.

In addition, he said that a stone commemorating his April 2022 fundraising ascent of Croagh Patrick will have a permanent residence in the Co Mayo community of Murrisk, at the base of the mountain.