April 15, 2016, Barcelona, Spain: Innovative Hepatitis testing projects from 5 countries will be commended by the World Health Organization (WHO) at an award ceremony and symposium on Hepatitis testing on Sunday morning, 17 April 2016, at The International Liver Congress™ (ILC) in Barcelona, Spain.
The session will showcase the winning entries from 67 submissions and 27 countries, including new testing models for Hepatitis in primary care, the community and prison settings. The winning entries come from Australia, India, Mongolia, the Netherlands and the United States of America (USA).
The competition, which was run by WHO's Global Hepatitis Programme and the Social Entrepreneurship for Sexual Health (SESH), in partnership with the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), sought to identify and celebrate innovative real-world examples of Hepatitis B and C testing.
"Lack of access to testing and awareness of diagnosis is a major barrier to accessing treatment for Hepatitis," said Philippa Easterbrook from WHO's Global Hepatitis Programme, who will chair the award session. "WHO will provide guidance on Hepatitis testing for low- and middleincome countries this year, so the competition has been key in identifying a wide range of excellent examples of testing. These span a number of settings, from health care clinics to delivery in the community, all of which will help us to scale up Hepatitis testing in the coming year."
"There is an urgent need to identify innovations to promote Hepatitis B and C testing," said Joseph Tucker, Chair of the SESH group. SESH has organized several innovation contests to improve health, and has found such contests to be an effective way to identify good ideas in testing approaches.
The winning entries to be presented at ILC include:
All entries were reviewed and independently scored by a global panel of 16 judges, which included representatives from community organizations, people living with Hepatitis, physicians, public health experts and WHO officials. Submissions were rated using a 10-point scale on 4 criteria: description of testing model; level of innovation; evaluation of effectiveness and impact; and plans for sustainability. They were then ranked based on overall mean score.
The 5 winning projects will also be included in WHO's 2016 Hepatitis testing guidelines, which will be launched in July 2016.
"Although Hepatitis is one of the most deadly diseases in the world, testing coverage is extremely low, with only approximately 5% of people living with the disease to have actually been tested and granted access to treatment," said Massimo Colombo, Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of Milan, Italy, who was one of the EASL specialists associated with the competition. "It is important to understand and share innovative testing approaches such as these, to encourage the prevalence of effective Hepatitis testing in more countries around the world."
WHO contest steering committee
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About The International Liver Congress™
This annual congress is the biggest event in the EASL calendar, attracting scientific and medical experts from around the world to learn about the latest in liver research. Attending specialists present, share, debate and conclude on the latest science and research in hepatology, working to enhance the treatment and management of liver disease in clinical practice. This year, the congress is expected to attract approximately 10,000 delegates from all corners of the globe. The International Liver Congress™ takes place from April 13 - 17, 2016, at the Fira Barcelona Gran Via, Barcelona, Spain.
Since EASL's foundation in 1966, this not-for-profit organisation has grown to over 4,000 members from all over the world, including many of the leading hepatologists in Europe and beyond. EASL is the leading liver association in Europe, having evolved into a major European Association with international influence, with an impressive track record in promoting research in liver disease, supporting wider education and promoting changes in European liver policy.
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Onsite location reference
General session 3 and awards, Hall 8.0-C1
Sunday 17 April, 08:30 - 10:00
Presenter: Philippa Easterbrook, Switzerland