International symposium on controlling viral hepatitis B and C comes to Barcelona
Global experts, including a significant number of researchers from Vall d’Hebron, will meet on 30 and 31 May to seek out more effective treatments.
By Biocat
The international symposium on controlling and eradicating viral hepatitis B and C will be held on 30 and 31 May at CosmoCaixa Barcelona, given by the Spanish Society for Virology, the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Ramón Areces Foundation.
Doctors Josep Quer, Juan Ignacio Esteban Mur and María Buti from the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital and the Networked Biomedical Research Center on Hepatic and Digestive Diseases (CIBERehd) are coordinating the scientific program, which will feature some twenty experts from Germany, France, Spain, the United States and Switzerland. The challenge facing these scientists is to find effective, personalized treatments for these strains of hepatitis, which requires a transdisciplinary view and the sharing of complementary breakthroughs and experiences.
One of the speakers at the symposium, Dr. Rafael Esteban Mur, VHIR researcher and head of the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Internal Medicine-Hepatology Unit, recently expressed this hopeful message, "In the coming years nearly 95% of patients with hepatitis C will be cured."
Hepatitis C (HCV) is the main cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and liver cancer, as well as the most significant indicator related with liver transplants. Transmitted by blood, nearly 2.3% of the world population is a chronic carrier of HCV, 2.5% of the population in Spain. Countries with the highest infection rate, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), are Egypt (15%), Pakistan (4.8%) and China (3.2%). Unlike hepatitis A and B, as of yet there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Current treatment for this disease eliminates nearly 50% of infections, but has significant side effects.
Regarding hepatitis B (HBV), nearly one third of the world population is affected by this virus, which is transmitted through blood and sexual contact. According to data from the WHO, HBV is between 50 and 100 times more infectious than HIV, and causes 600,000 deaths per year. Hepatitis B causes chronic liver diseases and can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer. Since 1982, a safe, effective vaccine for this virus has been available, which has a 95% success rate in cases treated. However, there are some areas of the world where this disease still severely punishes the population, like southern and eastern Africa.
Participation in the symposium is free of charge thanks to funding from the Areces Foundation, but those interested must sign up beforehand, as space is limited.
Registration (deadline 15 May. Spots limited)
Date: 30 and 31 May 2013
Time: 8:30 am to 5:10 pm and 10 am to 1:50 pm
Venue: CosmoCaixa • Auditorium • C/ Isaac Newton, 26 • Barcelona
Questions:
VHIR • Dr. Josep Quer • Tel. +34 93 489 40 28 • josep.quer@vhir.org