More than 9 million people in the MENA region suffer from Hepatitis C

Media Academy Held to Support the Prevention and Treatment of Hepatitis C in the Middle East

Dubai, UAE, October 6th, 2013 – Yesterday, as part of their ongoing commitment to reducing the growing epidemic that Hepatitis C (HCV) has become in the Middle East, MSD hosted the HCV Middle East summit, which brought together more than 200 doctors from across the region to discuss the virus, the best ways to manage it and the medical breakthroughs that may help to reduce the virus's growing prevalence. Over the course of two days, MSD brought together both international and regional medical experts to present on a range of topics, highlighting the latest clinical trials and medical advances that may help save the lives of hepatitis C sufferers. More than 9 million people across the MENA region are already believed to be infected with Hepatitis C,  additionally, whilst statistics remain scarce it is estimated that as much as 13.9 people out every 100,000 UAE citizens may suffer from the virus.

On the sidelines of this conference and as part of MSD's ongoing commitment to reducing the prevalence of life threatening illnesses through continuous, MSD also hosted a media academy for more than 25 journalists from countries across the Middle East. Hosted at the Grand Hyatt in Dubai, the Academy which brought together local and regional Gastroenterologists, as well as MSD experts, covered a wide range of topics including the prevalence and causes of hepatitis C, the various treatment options available as well as those in the pipeline and the integral role the media plays in helping to reduce the hepatitis epidemic.

Talking about their decision to host both the medical conference and media academy, Dr. Ramsey Morad, Managing Director of MSD in the Middle East said "At MSD we are committed to providing continuous education, whether to support physicians in providing their patients with the best care possible, or whether we are working with the media, to ensure that they have the tools they need to support in raising public awareness. Hepatitis C has already become an epidemic, with WHO estimating that 3% of the world's population, or around 170 million are already infected with the virus1. As a region, the Middle East and North Africa, already ranks amongst the highest in the world in terms of both prevalence and incidence. Despite the progress and medical breakthroughs that have taken place over the last decade, Hepatitis C transmission rates in the MENA region, are still amongst the highest in the world.  Education is crucial if we are truly to start addressing this epidemic."

Adding to Dr. Morad's comments, Mr. Mazen Altaruti, Managing Director of MSD Gulf, said “Hepatitis C is often known as the silent killer, because in many cases there are no specific symptoms until they have advanced or become chronic hepatitis. By raising awareness and providing physicians and the general public with a better understanding of the virus and the ways to prevent it we can save the lives of the UAE citizens."

The conference and media academy are just the latest in a long line of initiatives that MSD has undertaken in the region over the last few years to try to raise awareness of Hepatitis C, just some of these initiatives including free screenings and continuous education programs for physicians and medical professionals, like the Middle East School of Hepatology, that MSD launched earlier this year.