As the world recovers from the COVID-19 and looks to prepare for future pandemics, innovative and strategic thinking is needed to ensure health systems are resilient to face ongoing threats, along with emerging threats. One important lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic was that countries with robust viral hepatitis elimination testing and treatment programs were better positioned to respond to the pandemic and saw reduced caseloads and mortality rates compared to geographic peers. Likewise, other countries experienced an expansion of health infrastructure like testing technology and telemedicine. Many countries are now well-positioned to expedite hepatitis elimination efforts while at the same time maintaining these systems to respond to new outbreaks. 

This webinar will launch a report released earlier this year “Building Resilient Health Systems: Sharing Investments in Hepatitis Elimination and Pandemic Preparedness.” The report provides an overview of how investments in achieving hepatitis elimination and preparing for the next pandemic are mutually reinforcing. 

In preparation for the United Nations General Assembly and the high-level meeting on pandemic preparedness, join us to discuss how global health leaders, funders, and national policymakers can utilize investments in pandemic preparedness to accelerate the fight against hepatitis, and, in return harness strengthened viral hepatitis elimination infrastructure to support pandemic preparedness. This webinar is part of the Hep Test webinar series.

Register Here.

Agenda

Introduction of the White Paper, "Building Resilient Health Systems: Sharing Investments in Hepatitis Elimination and Pandemic Preparedness" | Dr. John Ward, Director, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination 

Case studies: Leveraging COVID-19 investments for hepatitis elimination

• From COVID-19 to HCV micro-elimination in Rawalpindi, Pakistan: The LHEAP program | Dr. Nida Ali, HERO Fellow, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination 
• New diagnostic capacity on the continent from COVID-19: Lessons learned from Africa CDC in applying to endemic threats |  Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz, Head, Division of Disease Control and Prevention, Africa CDC
• Q/A

Case studies: Viral hepatitis elimination strengthens country readiness for pandemic preparedness

• Lessons from the Georgia National Viral Hepatitis Elimination Program | Dr. Tamar Gabunia, First Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia
• Lessons from the Egyptian National Viral Hepatitis Elimination Program | Dr. Wael Abdel Razek, Head of Primary Health Care and Nursing Sector, Deputy Executive Director of National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis, Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt 
• Q/A

Roundtable discussion | Moderated by Dr. John Ward, Director, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination

• Prepared remarks
  • Dr. Youngmee Jee, Commissioner, Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency
  • Dr. Jimmy Kolker, US Ambassador [ret] Former Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs, Department of Health and Human Services, Part-time Senior Advisor, Global Covid Response and Health Security, Department of State
• Audience Q/A:
  • Dr. Mohammed Abdulaziz, Head, Division of Disease Control and Prevention, Africa CDC
  • Dr. Tamar Gabunia, First Deputy Minister of Internally Displaced Persons from the Occupied Territories, Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia
  • Dr. Wael Abdel Razek, Head of Primary Health Care and Nursing Sector, Deputy Executive Director of National Committee for Control of Viral Hepatitis, Ministry of Health and Population, Egypt 
  • Dr. Nida Ali, HERO Fellow, Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination