10 November marks the World HTLV Day, celebrated by international HTLV community and stakeholders, and WHO aims to take this opportunity to reaffirm its commitment to this virus, to engage with stakeholders, strengthen the response, and amplify awareness about HTLV.
Human T-cell Lymphotropic Virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes a lifelong infection that can lead to severe diseases, premature death, disability, stigma, and reduced quality of life. In 2021, WHO published a report highlighting key priorities to improve the global response to this neglected virus.
Despite its inclusion in the Global Health Sector Strategy (2022-2030), progress has fallen short. WHO is committed to strengthening efforts, using its global network to raise awareness.
Agenda
Opening remarks | |
Welcoming message | Jérôme Salomon (WHO) |
Living with HTLV: the community perspective | Fatumata Djalo (civil society) |
Global response to HTLV-1 | |
WHO’s response and strategic direction | Carolina Rosadas & Cheryl Johnson (WHO) |
PAHO’s Technical note on good practices to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HTLV-1 in the context of the EMTCT Plus initiative | Leandro Sereno (PAHO/AMRO) |
HTLV response in action | |
Policies to HTLV in Japan and challenges ahead | Toshiki Watanabe (Japan) |
Elimination of HTLV-1 mother-to-child transmission | Pamela Gaspar (Brazil) |
Blood donor screening | Katy Davison (United Kingdom) |
Prevention of HTLV-1 in the context of sexually transmitted infections | Peter Figueroa (Jamaica) |
Testing for HTLV | Philippa Hetzel (Australia) |
Questions & answers | |
Closing remarks | Meg Doherty (WHO) |