LUXEMBOURG, September 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- At least 23 million European Union (EU) citizens are currently living with hepatitis B or hepatitis C[i]. In a direct response to the health burden this presents and the recent recognition by the WHO of the seriousness of hepatitis as a global health issue, a unique Partnership comprising key international public and private stakeholders has formed to drive the first EU-wide initiative on hepatitis B and C.
The new Partnership will work to achieve the formation of a European-wide strategy on the communication, prevention and management of viral hepatitis as a healthcare priority. As a first step towards this, the Partnership will host the Hepatitis B and C Summit Conference on 14-15th October 2010, where the latest research and advances will be presented and used to inform and drive future EU strategies and action plans in this neglected disease area. New studies will assess the impact of mobility of populations and patient self-help programmes in relation to the hepatitis epidemic.
Professor Angelos Hatzakis of Athens University Medical School and one of the co-chairs of the Partnership Steering Group said: "The burden and challenges associated with viral hepatitis across Europe require the active and concerted involvement of a broad range of stakeholders. Patients, specialists, primary health care providers, epidemiologists, policy makers, those responsible for health budgets, the general public, advocates, donors and the pharmaceutical sector should all work together to deliver the results so needed for these urgent diseases."
The new Partnership involves the European Association for the Study of Liver Disease (EASL) and the European Liver Patient Association (ELPA). Other contributors include the Viral Hepatitis Prevention Board (VHPB), the World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The conference is supported by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) and is being held under the auspices of the current EU Belgian presidency.
Nadine Piorkowsky, President of the European Liver Patients Association (ELPA) and co-chair of the Partnership Steering Group stated: "The development and implementation of specific policies to prevent, diagnose and control hepatitis B and C are long overdue as the burden of these diseases has significantly increased for the last ten years. This conference constitutes an important step forward as we will bring all the latest research to the table with a view to collectively evaluating the findings. The aim of this conference will be to present EU Member States with concrete policy recommendations on hepatitis B and C that can be implemented in their future health programmes."
References
[i] WHO Europe Region. Hepatitis Fact and Figures.
http://www.euro.who.int/en/what-we-do/health-topics/diseases-and-conditions/hepatitis/facts-and-figures.
Accessed 20.08.10
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Notes to editors
Contact details
For more information on attending the event and to arrange interviews, journalists should contact our press office:
Isabelle Scali
+44-207-331-2324
Isabelle.scali@cohnwolfe.com
For more details on the conference and the full list of members of the Steering Group visit: http://www.hepsummit2010.org/
Distributed by PR Newswire on behalf of Hepatitis B and C Summit Conference
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