How to interpret and leverage results for effective advocacy

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Last week a colleague of mine spoke to a health reporter from a national media outlet. The reporter, who is in charge of the national health news, asked a simple question…what is viral hepatitis and how does it impact people? With an annual death rate of 1.4 million people worldwide, more than HIV/AIDS or malaria, how is it possible, in the face of such numbers, that hepatitis is so ignored?

One of the main reasons often cited for the lack of awareness and lack of action is the absence of accurate data and insights from hepatitis patients themselves. Almost all the information and data available about viral hepatitis have come exclusively from clinicians, epidemiologists and the pharmaceutical industry, while far too little information has come from the people living with—and too often, dying from—this virus.

We will also be looking at the HCV Quest survey as an example of a global survey. This coincides with the launch of the HCV Quest Toolkit on 29 February. The Toolkit includes a set of 22 national reports in local languages and a full resource hub with documents and resources designed to support the development, roll-out and utilization of these survey results for national advocacy activities.

Information and registration details are available here.

If you are unable to join, the filmed version of the webinar will be available on our website after the webinar on the 12 March.

We look forward to having you join us.

Hepatology, Medicine and Policy is now accepting submissions on this and related issues. For more information, visit: www.hmap.biomedcentral.com.