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ECDC report on the responses in the EU/EEA to hepatitis B and C.

Late May marked the spring edition of the European Testing Week dedicated to increasing awareness of the benefits of early HIV and hepatitis testing. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) used this opportunity to publish information on the progress towards the elimination of hepatitis B and C in European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA) countries.

For the report data was collected from Members States on testing and treatment indicators for the continuum of care concerning hepatitis B and C. Key findings showed that vaccination is a major component of any hepatitis B prevention strategy, that perinatal transmission of HBV is not commonly reported in EU/EEA countries and that the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B virus and chronic hepatitis C virus infections among first-time blood donors is low. Limitations due to data gaps and diversity were noted. Only a few countries had data available regarding linkage to care. About a third of all EU/EEA countries reported no action plan or strategy for hepatitis prevention and control

Did you know that hospital pharmacists – which are a member of one of EAHP’s national associations – have free access to the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy (EJHP)? In case you were not aware of this perk, make sure to visit EAHP’s website (https://www.eahp.eu/) to learn how you can access the EJHP online.

The European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) has released its position paper on medicines shortages outlining the severe threats that this problem poses to patient outcomes, patient safety and patient care. The following principal recommendations have been put forward by EPHA to address medicine shortages: