***** GET THE DETAILED PROGRAMME OF ALL THREE  (HA-REACT, ESTICOM, INTEGRATE) NON-COMMERCIAL SATELLITE SYMPOSIUM OF THE EUROPEAN HEALTH COMMISSION HEALTH PTORGRAMME 2014-2020. *****

We would like to invite World AIDS Conference 2018 participants to our HA-REACT Joint Action Satellite "Harm reduction for people who inject drugs in Europe: Findings from European Joint Action HA-REACT". 

This event is scheduled on Monday, July 23, 2018, from 14:45 to 16:45 at the Non-commercial Satellite Symposium of the European Commission Health Programme 2014-2020.

This session will focus on harm reduction services in Europe for people who inject drugs (PWID), presenting new findings and good practices from this major European project. Good practices include e.g. tailored low threshold services for women who use drugs, harm reduction for prisoners, and mobile unit outreach work. Barriers of access to prevention and treatment services, as well as integration of care for PWID will be discussed in the session. Session objectives are to disseminate information on findings of the HA-REACT Joint Action and to provoke discussion with other Health Programme activities on challenges and good practices of prevention of HIV and co-infections and integration of care for PWID.

Chair: Mika Salminen, National Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland

Co-Chair: Jean-Luc Sion, DG SANTE, European Commission

  • 14:45-14:55
    EU Policy framework, presenting the Staff Working Document 2018, European Commission DG- SANTE Representative
  • 14:55-15:05
    HIV/HCV testing within low-threshold services for women who use drugs – barriers and recommendations, Alexandra Gurinova, Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe, Germany
  • 15:05-15:15
    Harm reduction services in prisons: gaps, challenges and good practice examples, Heino Stöver, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences (ISFF), Germany
  • 15:15-15:25
    Harm reduction services in Europe, Mobile unit service for PWID in Latvia, Luis Sordo Del Castillo, Biomedical Research Networking Centre (CIBER/ISCIII), Spain 2
  • 15:25-15:35
    Access barriers and good practices to promote prevention and treatment services for PWID, Jeffrey V Lazarus, Centre of Excellence for Health, Immunity and Infections (CHIP/REGIONH), Denmark
  • 15:45-15:55
    Guidance on prevention and control of blood-borne viruses in prison settings, Dagmar Hedrich, European Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Portugal
  • 15:55-16:45
    Round table discussion (50 min): What are the challenges for preventing HIV and co-infections among PWID, what have we learnt from HA-REACT and other EU actions, and how can we respond to these challenges? What does integration of services for PWID mean?
  • Facilitator: Sini Pasanen, Civil Society Forum on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and Tuberculosis

Panellists from:

  • Joint Action on integrating prevention, testing and linkage to care strategies across HIV, viral hepatitis, TB and STIs in Europe (INTEGRATE): Dorthe Raben, Centre of Excellence for Health, Immunity and Infections (CHIP/REGIONH), Denmark
  • Early diagnosis and treatment of viral hepatitis (HepCare Europe): John S. Lambert , UCD/ Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Ireland
  • Early detection and integrated management of tuberculosis in Europe (EDETECT TB): Gerard de Vries, KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, Netherlands
  • Joint Action on HIV and co-infection prevention and harm reduction (HAREACT): Aljona Kurbatova, National Institute for Health Development, Estonia 
  • European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA): Dagmar Hedrich, European Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Portuga

Download the satellite programme as pdf below: