World Hepatitis Day Initiatives
The World Hepatitis Alliance supports campaigners and patient organisations around the world to help make a difference to the lives of the millions of people living with viral hepatitis and to prevent new infections. To find out more on what is going on in your country, use the map below to find local organisations, World Hepatitis Day initiatives and other initiatives.
You can also look at our ‘Wall of Stories’ and submit your own personal experience of living with hepatitis or find other community resources including an Online Scrapbook and our latest Newsletters. The This is hepatitis... blog features bloggers from around the world talking about their experiences with hepatitis.
Name:
Org:
Country: Brazil
City: São Paulo
Type: WHD
Brazil - WHD 2011
The group C Tem Que Saber C Tem Que Curar marked World Hepatitis Day (WHD) with a mammoth campaign in 23 cities and towns in 6 different states in Brazil. They had the support of local and state governments as well as other organisations. As part of their initiatives, 1 million information leaflets were handed out in toll booths around the region of Campinas and 160,000 quick hepatitis C screening tests were performed. Moreover, July marked the beginning of a four year campaign to screen health care workers in the country for hepatitis B and C. The events had immense coverage on the main regional and national media networks, such as TV Globo and helped to consolidate hepatitis patients’ right. The media was also used to denounce issues regarding access to treatment, which led the Ministry of Health to prolong cost free treatment from 48 to 72 weeks.
Once again, Esperança group held a campaign in partnership with Santos Football Club and many other stakeholders in which a football game at the ‘Vila Belmiro’ stadium raised awareness of hepatitis C amongst the 20,000 spectators as well as the millions watching the game. The Brazilian Hepatology Society joined the event with its campaign ‘para quebrar o silêncio sobre a hepatite C’ (to break the silence about hepatitis C) and the Minister of Health Alexandre Padilha went to the stadium to support the initiative. Also, this year Wilson Piazza, Carlos Alberto Torres, Jairzinho e Dadá Maravilha supported the Federation of Professional Athletes Associations campaign to raise awareness about hepatitis C risk because most Brazilian athletes were at serious risk from the 1960s till the 1980s as a result of sharing medical treatment needles.
On WHD, the group Hércules in partnership with other organisations and prominent individuals carried out screening tests and vaccinated about 400 people against hepatitis B in Florianópolis. The group also took part in several TV and radio interviews to promote the events and raise awareness of chronic hepatitis.
In the state of Cerará, the organisation ‘ABC Vida’ partnered with the local government and other entities to held a series of events on and around WHD, such as a bazaar in Ferreira square and tribute ceremonies. Furthermore, players of the Ceará Sporting Club wore the message ‘Brazilian Campaign against Hepatitis C’ during a game held on July 28th at the Vargas President Stadium.
One of the main current affairs shows in Brazil, ‘Fantástico’, broadcast a series of reports entitled ‘Hepatitis – ignored epidemic’ with the well-known Doctor Dráuzio Varella, which helped to raise awareness nationwide about the enormous problem faced by the country.
