JULY/AUGUST 2021: VOL 52 hepVoiceYour magazine from the World Hepatitis Alliance New self-testing guidelines Finding the missing millions in Mongolia World Hepatitis Day around the globe 1 hep Voice JULY/AUGUST 2021 Welcome to hepVoice Contents Stay connected www.worldhepatitisalliance.org Wow... Regulars [email protected] What an incredible World Hepatitis Day it was. I 4 hepHeadlines was so inspired by all the photos of activities taking www.facebook.com/worldhepalliance place around the world, raising awareness of viral hepatitis and calling for action to tackle hepatitis 6 Advocacy dates @Hep_Alliance internationally. Features @worldhepatitisalliance In this edition of hepVoice, we highlight all the major announcements from the day and give a snapshot of 8 World Hepatitis Summit the global activity from across the globe. 10 WHO hepatitis C self- While World Hepatitis Day is the major day for testing guidelines hepatitis advocacy, we must keep the momentum Want to contribute? going to demonstrate to decision makers the need 12 N-HEP launch We welcome your contributions so Don’t for urgent action on hepatitis. The Hepatitis Can't please get in touch at miss out wait campaign will continue, utilising the message 14 World Hepatitis Day stats - receive to demonstrate the need for action. Watch this space [email protected] 16 WHA members shine on hepVoice for exciting updates to the campaign, which will be to have your news and stories straight coming soon. World Hepatitis Day included in future issues and feel free to share this magazine with to your 17 Monuments light for WHD inbox! I hope you enjoy this special edition and if you have your network. any news that you would like highlighted in a future 18 WHA President's message edition, then please do get in touch. 19 NOhep supporters celebrate World Hepatitis Day 20 WHA World Hepatitis Day updates Cary James, 21 WHA members honoured WHA Chief Executive as 2021 Hep Champions 28 Inspiration from around the world - Mongolia 30 Wall of stories: Danjuma Adda 2 hep Voice JULY/AUGUST 2021 3 hep Voice JULY/AUGUST 2021 and linkage to care, providing care close to challenges that prevent hepatitis C prevention and people’s homes and the launch of national hepatitis B infant in their communities, hepatitis programmes. vaccinations. has improved access Read more here. headlines to hepatitis services by The report found that strengthening primary Malaysia to launch self- seven of the 10 provinces health care. testing programme for hep are on track to meet the hepatitis C Hepatitis is regularly making the news. Here are a few Read more here. viral hepatitis elimination highlights from around the world. goals, with not enough MSF launches public data being available for health partnership to Controlling hepatitis B in immunisation programs. the COVID-19 vaccine the other three provinces. tackle hepatitis C Europe This will help countries programme as an In the report, ACA provides maintain or improve opportunity to rollout recommendations to close vaccination coverage hepatitis screenings. The any existing gaps. and accelerate progress prevalence of hepatitis in Read more here. The Malaysian Health towards the regional goal. Niue was 1% and those Ministry is partnering with Read more here. that tested positive have Uzbekistan to expand the Malaysian AIDS all been linked to care. hepatitis testing and Council, World Health Niue becomes the first Read more here. treatment country to screen its Médecins Sans Frontières Organization (WHO), the The Centers for Disease entire population for viral Progress toward hepatitis (MSF) partnered with the Drugs for Neglected Control and Prevention hepatitis elimination in Canada Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) (CDC) published a progress Diseases initiative (DNDi), and FIND (the global report on hepatitis B FIND, the global alliance alliance for diagnostics) to control in the European for diagnostics and the launch a hepatitis C self- region of the World Health Treatment Action Group testing impact study in Organization (WHO). (TAG) to tackle disparities Malaysia. This will make Between 2016 and 2019, The Center for Disease in access to diagnostics Malaysia one of the first the region made Analysis Foundation (CDAF) and treatment for countries in the world to substantial progress has partnered with hepatitis C in low- and launch a programme of towards hepatitis B The Government of the Action Hepatitis Canada Uzbekistan’s Research middle-income countries, this kind. vaccination coverage island nation of Niue, in (ACA) has published a Institute of Virology and home to 75% of those (94%) and the universal the South Pacific Ocean, progress report on the Ministry of Health to living with hepatitis C. There are an estimated screening of pregnant has announced that it has hepatitis elimination in launch a pilot project to 400,000 people living with women (56%). screened 90% of its adult Canada, as a tool to hold train and empower The partnership, entitled hepatitis C in Malaysia, population for viral provinces and territories primary health care ‘Hepatitis C Partnership for with many of those The COVID-19 pandemic hepatitis. The screening is accountable to their professionals. This will Control and Treatment’, undiagnosed due to the has threatened progress part of the ‘Cure-a- hepatitis elimination lead to increased testing or ‘Hepatitis C PACT’, stigma attached to the by causing a disruption Country’ viral hepatitis promise. The report and the improved will foster an enabling virus. The government is to immunisation services. elimination programme, measures progress based management of environment for testing hoping that self-testing CDC recommends undertaken in on the presence of an viral hepatitis. and treatment through the will empower communities implementing regional collaboration with Global elimination plan, as well delivery of oral antiviral underserved by health guidance on interventions, Health New Zealand. as annual hepatitis C The project, which treatment, the scaling up systems to learn their mitigating the impact treatment prescribing is in line with WHO community-based testing status. of COVID-19 on The government leveraged counts, hepatitis C testing recommendations on and addressing financial Read more here. 4 hep Voice JULY/AUGUST 2021 5 hep Voice JULY/AUGUST 2021 Participating in a hepatitis related activity or have an event planned? Email us on [email protected] or contact us on social media. 21 September Key advocacy dates International Day of Peace Upcoming events and activities taking place in the Each year, the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 coming months. September. The 2021 theme is ‘Recovering better for an equitable and sustainable world.’ People fleeing conflict often do not have access to healthcare facilities, making it difficult for them to access hepatitis testing and treatment. In addition, they lack safe food and water supplies and adequate sanitation, putting them at a 9-11 September higher risk of developing hepatitis A and E. People fleeing conflict situations must Conference on Liver Disease in Africa (COLDA) 2021 not be left behind in national hepatitis strategies, in order to achieve elimination Find out more here. COLDA 2021 aims to empower healthcare professionals to diagnose, prevent, treat and cure liver diseases in Africa. Together with support from an international community of experts, COLDA attendees will exchange knowledge on the latest 27 September - 1 October developments and achievements in the management of viral hepatitis and liver European Health Forum Gastein disease with a special focus on the African context. The European Health Forum Gastein (EFGH) conference is a key platform for health On the 8 September the World Hepatitis Alliance will be hosting a pre-meeting at policy exchanges, bringing together stakeholders and COLDA in colloboration with NOhep and the London School of Hygine and Tropical decision-makers from the public and private sector, as well as civil society, science Medicine. The side event will highlight the stories of the people and communties and academia. EFGH 2021 will be held digitally, with the aim of conceptualising impacted by hepatitis and bring together medical professionals, policy makers and how we can rise from the COVID-19 crisis as more resilient, smarter and equitable civil society to discuss ways of overcoming the barriers to elimination in Africa. societies. Find out more here. Find out more here. 24–26 October 17-26 September World Health Summit 2021 Global Goals Week Every October, the World Health Summit brings together international experts from The countries of the United Nations made a universal promise to “leave no one academia, politics, the private sector and civil society to discuss and find solutions behind” when it comes to achieving a peaceful and prosperous world by 2030. to global health challenges, whilst setting an agenda for a healthier future. Global Goals Week is a shared commitment between partners across civil society, This year's World Health Summit will bring business, academia and the UN system to accelerate action towards the Sustainable together 300 speakers and 6,000 participants Development Goals (SDGs). It is also an opportunity for the hepatitis community from 100 countries to a ‘hybrid’ on-site to speak out about the limited action that has been taken towards combating conference in Berlin, with full digital access. hepatitis, as outlined in SDG 3. Find out more here. Find out more here. Find out more here. 6 hep Voice JULY/AUGUST 2021 7 hep Voice JULY/AUGUST 2021 The World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) is pleased to announce that the World Hepatitis Summit (WHS) will return in 2022 with a hybrid meeting. This will combine an in-person event for those able to attend along with a virtual option for those unable to travel. The three-day summit will take place in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 8-10, with a one-day pre- conference meeting exclusively for WHA members held on 7 June.