ELPA member The Star of Hope Gwiazda Nadziei Foundation organises World Hepatitis Day activities in Poland this year
World Hepatitis Day 2014 in Poland
The Star of Hope (Gwiazda Nadziei) Foundation was the organiser of World Hepatitis Day in Poland this year. The patrons of this event were the Polish Hepatitis Society (Polskie Towarzystwo Hepatologiczne) and The Hepatitis Coalition (Koalicja Hepatologiczna).
The WHD event consisted of many parts; a convention of organisations related to the Hepatitis Coalition from the 26-28th of July, consisting of workshops with a psychologist and a medical specialist, among other things.
A London double-decker bus marked with the logo of the World Hepatitis Day moved through the streets of Warsaw from midday to the early evening hours of the 27th of July. In the bus were Hepatitis Coalition volunteers along with an expert in treating the condition – Anna Piekarska. Everyone was able to ride the bus and talk to the expert as well as the volunteers.
The volunteers gave out educational brochures, baloons, flowers, sweets and also informed those interested about the many hepatitis check-ups happening in the area.
On the 28th of July in five Polish cities (Warsaw, Szczecin, Czestochowa, Katowice and Krakow) everyone could have a free HCV check-up – the slogan promoting the event was “GET EXAMINED! BE AWARE!”
In total, 1633 people made use of the free medical examinations, 35 of whom had evidence of HCV antibodies.
From the 28th of July to the end of August Polish TV stations emitted educational shorts about hepatitis B and hepatitis C. The reach of this campaign was immense.
On the 28th of July in the Centre for the Polish Press Agency in Warsaw a press conference took place: “A chance for success in the battle against HCV infections – Will we use it?”. Three medical professionals took part (Prof. Waldemar Halota, Prof. Robert Flisiak and Prof. Krzysztof Simon), presenting their expertise on the detection, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis, answering any questions the press may have had. During the conference people infected with the HCV virus spoke about their anticipation for new medical treatments.
The media interest and coverage of the conference was very large.
Media report – summary and impact (as of August 20th 2014)
World Hepatits Day 2014 activities taking place in Poland garnered significant press coverage and social media activity. More than 160 media clippings covered World Hepatitis Day in Poland, including top-tier TV, radio, Internet and press titles. Altogether media reached nearly 7 million people with the WHD message which equals 557 thousand PLN (over 133 thousand €) in Ad Value Equivalent (AVE).
Overal media coverage includes: 13 press clippings, 96 Internet publications, 19 TV programs and 17 radio broadcasts. Communication channels were both all-Poland and local media. (Five main Polish cities: Cracow, Warsaw, Szczecin, Katowice and Częstochowa received specially-tailored press releases). Moreover, the event was mentioned 19 times in social media (mainly Facebook and Twitter).
The press conference