Meetings

Elimination of Viral Hepatitis in the Balkan countries: Lessons Learnt and the way forward (27-28 October 2022, Skopje, North Macedonia)

Meeting objectives:

  • provide an overview of the current viral hepatitis situation in the countries: surveillance systems, epidemiology, screening, burden, prevention, treatment and the cascade of care
  • discuss achievements and challenges in the prevention and control of viral hepatitis, the possible implementation of new prevention strategies, control measures and monitoring system in the countries
  • discuss the development and the implementation of a national hepatitis plans
  • assess the needs to achieve the goal of eliminating viral hepatitis as a major public health threat by 2030 as set out in the renewed WHO Global Strategy and WHO Europe Action Plan, building on the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDG) commitments
  • discuss successes, issues and barriers to overcome and the way forward.

 

Background document (1.446 kB, pdf)

 

Thursday 27 October 2022

Session 1: Opening and objectives      
Chairs: Greet Hendrickx & Milan Mishkovikj
08:30 – 09:00

Welcome and opening of the meeting

Introduction of the participants

Introduction of the VHPB

Objectives of the meeting

Review of the meeting programme

 

Welcome by Dr. Bekim Sali

Minister of Health

 

Session 2:  The  health care system in The Balkan countries
Chairs: Daniel Lavanchy & Angela Dominguez
09:00 – 10:30

Introduction in the health care system and infectious disease  service of the different countries (focused on viral hepatitis)

(following a VHPB slide template, 10 minutes/country)

Albania – Silvia Bino

Bosnia-Herzegovina – Vesna Lucic-Samardzija / Azra Husic-Selimovic (pre-recorded)

Bulgaria – Ani Kevorkyan

Kosovo – Valbon Krasniqi

Montenegro – Aleksandra Marjanovic

North Macedonia – Marija Dimzova

Serbia – Violeta Rakic / Tomislav Preveden

Croatia – Adriana Vince / Tatjana Nemeth Blažić

Slovenia – Mojca Maticic

 

10:30 – 10:50 Q&A
10:50-11:10 Coffee Break

 

Session 3:  Current viral hepatitis situation
Chairs: Marko Korenjak & Françoise Roudot-Thoraval
11:10 – 12:50

Current situation: Epidemiological Hepatitis situation, burden of disease; How screening and prevention/vaccination are organised  & Cascade of care

(following a VHPB slide template, 20 minutes/country)

Albania – Elona Kureta

Bosnia-Herzegovina – Vesna Lucic-Samardzija / Azra Husic-Selimovic (pre-recorded)

Bulgaria – Ani Kevorkyan

Kosovo – Teuta Jusufi

Montenegro – Alma Cicic

 

12:50-13:50 Lunch Break
Chairs: Mira Kojouharova & Daniel Shouval
13:50-15:10

Continued – Current situation: Epidemiological Hepatitis situation, burden of disease; How screening and prevention/vaccination are organised  & Cascade of care

North Macedonia – Marija Dimzova

Serbia – Violeta Rakic / Tomislav Preveden

Croatia – Adriana Vince / Tatjana Nemeth Blažić

Slovenia – Mojca Maticic

 

15:10-15:40

Overview of Hepatitis surveillance and Epidemiology in Europe: Hepatitis B and C in EU/EEA countries and overview for Balkan countries 

Erika Duffell, ECDC

Marcelo Naveira, WHO

 

15:40-16:00 Coffee Break

 

Session 4:  Literature session
Chairs: Silvia Bino
16:00 – 16:40

Role of the patient organisations in the Balkan region.

Milan Mishkovikj (Hepar Centar Bitola)

Marko Korenjak (ELPA)

 

16:40-17:20

Hepatitis B & C management policies in European and Balkan countries

Hakan Leblebicioglu

 

17:20 – 17:40 Q&A 

 

Friday 28 October 2022

Session 5:  Elimination of viral hepatitis in Balkan region – Lessons learnt, best practices and future challenges
Chairs: Mojca Maticic & Thomas Vanwolleghem
8:30-8:50

Welcome by Dr. Ana Daneva Markova

Health Advisor of the Prime Minister

 

WHO Global Strategy and the European action plan for viral hepatitis elimination, including WHO/Europe good practices

Nicole Seguy – WHO Regional Office for Europe

 

8:50-9:00 Q&A
9:00-11:15

Presentations of best practices and issues to achieve the elimination goals

(15 minutes/country)

Albania – Elona Kureta

Bosnia-Herzegovina – Vesna Lucic-Samardzija / Azra Husic-Selimovic (pre-recorded)

Bulgaria – Ani Kevorkyan

Kosovo – Xhevat Jakupi

Montenegro – Aleksandra Marjanovic

North Macedonia – Todorovska Beti / Kalina Stardelova

Serbia – Violeta Rakic / Tomislav Preveden

Croatia – Adriana Vince / Tatjana Nemeth Blažić

Slovenia – Mojca Maticic

 

11:15-11:30 Q&A
11:30-11:50 Coffee Break

 

Session 6: Groups discussion – What are the needs to Eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030
Chairs: Tatjana Reic
11:50-13:10

Group 1 – Epidemiological surveillance, screening, monitoring and analysis of the
effectiveness of prevention and treatment programs, informing the public (Sandra Dudareva)

Group 2 -Prevention of viral hepatitis: improvement of vaccine prevention programs, prevention in high-risk groups, prevention in health care settings (Marcelo Naveira)

Group 3 – Treatment of viral hepatitis: recommendations based on epidemiology and disease burden data, increasing access to treatment, coverage of the most affected groups (Senad Handanagic)

13:10-13:30 Presentation outcome of the groups sessions

 

13:30-14:30 Lunch Break

 

Session 7:  Conclusion of the meeting
Chairs: Marko Korenjak & Silvia Bino
14:30-15:15

Conclusion of the meeting, final discussion & closing of the meeting

David FitzSimons

 

 

Meeting report (387 kB, Pdf) by David FitzSimons.