Tyler Praised by International Patient Groups in Advance of World Hepatitis Awareness Day

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Tyler Praised by International Patient Groups in Advance of World Hepatitis Awareness Day

Posted on : Fri, 29 Sep 2006 08:52:00 GMT | Author : The European Liver Patient AssociationNews Category : PressRelease

BRUSSELS, Belgium, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- As one of 180 million people affected by hepatitis C around the world, Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith has received praise from internationalpatient organisations for talking openly about his battle with hepatitis C.The announcement from Tyler comes just days before World HepatitisAwareness Day 2006. Muriel Colinet, President of the European Liver Patient Association(ELPA), expressed her gratitude to Tyler, saying that " Tylerhas taken the important and brave step to reveal his hepatitis C status, amove that is vital if we are to succeed in our battle to combat thisdevastating disease." She added that "only by talking openly about thedisease and by encouraging people who might be at risk to get tested can webegin to tackle this global problem." Tyler adds his name to that of a number of celebrities, includingSir Bob Geldof, who are attempting to raise awareness of hepatitis B and C,diseases that affect almost 600 million people worldwide. Speaking in apre-recorded message at the World Health Organization Regional Office forEurope on Tuesday, Sir Bob Geldof explained that "stigma, shame and fear cansuffocate awareness. These barriers prevent people from getting tested,getting treatment and clearing themselves of the disease." Sunday, 1 October 2006 marks the third annual World Hepatitis AwarenessDay. The theme for this year is 'Get Tested' and people at risk from thedisease are encouraged to do just that - Get Tested. For more informationregarding activities around the world please visitwww.worldhepatitisawarenessday.com The European Liver Patient Association For more information, please contact: Suzanne , Axon Communications, Tel: +44-(0)20-8822-6692, Email: sedwards@...; Muriel Colinet, President, ELPA (Europe) and Carrefour Hépatites - Aide et Contact asbl, (Belgium), Tel: +32-(0)61-26-68-90, Email: chacasbl@...

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