hepVoice Vol.10 | Page 12

World Hepatitis Alliance member activities WHA Member updates from around the world Ghana As part of its 4 month-long community awareness programme, WHA member Hepatitis Foundation of Ghana organised an event in the Nadowli District, Upper West Region. The event used drama, music and dance to educate the community about viral hepatitis. United States In the United States October is celebrated as National Liver Cancer Awareness Month. As the second-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, greater awareness around liver cancer and its causes is greatly needed. To highlight this to new audiences, WHA member NASTAD (the National Alliance of State and Territorial Aids Directors) and representatives from Hep B United and the Center for Disease Control’s Division of Viral Hepatitis held a Twitter chat on 25 October. Tweeting under the hashtag #liverchat, over 40 organisations and individuals took part in the chat, including WHA members Hepatitis B Foundation and Charles B Wang Community Health Center. Switzerland On 31 October, international and national experts met in Zurich, Switzerland for a public health symposium entitled ‘Hepatitis – the Elimination of a Viral Disease’. Organised by the Swiss Hepatitis Strategy, the meeting explored the possibility of eliminating viral hepatitis and addressed the changing picture of chronic diseases including presentations looking at hepatitis C as a systemic disease and the patient’s perspective. As well as a talk from WHA President Charles Gore, the meeting included presentations and input from WHA members Swiss Experts in Viral Hepatitis (SEVHep), Arud Zentren für Suchtmedizin and Schweizerische Hepatitis C Vereinigung. New members The World Hepatitis Alliance continues to grow as we welcome five new member organisations: Alliance Beninoise des Organisations de la Société Civile de Lutte Contre les Hépatites Virales (ABOSCHVi), Benin; Association de Lutte Contre les Hépatites (ALCH Maroc), Morocco; The Community Health Outreach Work to Prevent AIDS Project (CHOW Project), USA; Forum For The Study Of The Liver, Bangladesh; and Northern Territory AIDS & Hepatitis Council, Australia. Our membership is now made up of 243 groups in 82 countries in every region of the world. Find out more here. We love to highlight the great work of our members, so get in touch with updates on your national activities. 12 hep Voice October 2016 hep Voice October 2016 13