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Bahiana hosts XIII International Symposium on HTLV-1 in Brazil
The event also marked the launch of the XNUMXst HTLV Meeting in Bahia.
14/09/2017
On September 11, 12 and 13, 2017, the Cabula Academic Unit Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública hosted the XIII International Symposium on HTLV-1 in Brazil. The event brought together people with the disease, medical professionals and renowned researchers in Brazil to discuss cutting-edge research on HTLV. The first day of activities included the opening of the XNUMXst HTLV Meeting in Bahia, whose program included the presentation of testimonies by HTLV carriers Adjeane Oliveira de Jesus, president of the HTLVida association, and Sandra do Valle, president of Vitamore. Lectures and roundtables were also held throughout the day, with the presentation of new studies developed by professionals and researchers from Bahia.
On the second day of the event, the official opening ceremony of the XIII International Symposium on HTLV-1 in Brazil was held with the presence of the dean of Bahiana, Prof. Dr. Maria Luisa Carvalho Soliani who composed the opening table together with the representative of the International Association of Retrovirology of South America, Dr. Mariza Puccioni, the director of the Instituto Gonçalo Moniz, Dr. Marilda Gonçalves, the president of honor of the symposium, Dr. Bernardo Galvão, the president of the symposium, Maria Fernanda Grassi, in addition to the representatives of the bearers, Adjeane Oliveira de Jesus and Sandra do Valle.
"It is an honor for us to host this symposium this year in which the Bahiana 65 years ago, because professor Bernardo Galvão brought this spirit of research aimed at assistance, which gave us growth in research and in the service provided to people", declared the dean of Bahiana.
On the occasion, the physician and researcher Dr. Achiléa Bittencourt, associate professor of Pathology at the Faculty of Medicine of the UFBA and the physician and researcher from Minas Gerais, Dr. Fernando Porietti, special researcher at the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Medical Anthropology, Research Center, were also honored René Rachou, Fiocruz, Belo Horizonte, MG. “A tribute is intended to point out people, but I receive it as a collective tribute that is important to many other researchers”.
In her speech, Dr. Achiléia Bittencourt shared with those present her trajectory in research and care for HTLV patients. "I've dedicated for more than 20 years in care with HTLV in Brazil, because it is a disease that is totally discredited by public health in Brazil".
"This symposium is extremely important for the entire community of HTLV carriers, researchers, for Bahia and for the Bahiana, since we have an HTLV reference center in our institution", declared the technical director of the Medical Center Bahiana Health, Dr. Humberto Castro Lima Filho, also present on the occasion. According to him, assistance must come first, however, “along with this comes research with the objective of improving the quality of life of these people. The event also draws attention to the needs of these people, because HTLV is a neglected disease and, fortunately, in our institution, it is not! People receive all the support, we do a lot, but there is still a lot to be done”.
the HTLV
The city of Salvador has the largest number of people living with HTLV-1 in Brazil, around 50. This virus is mainly transmitted sexually and through breastfeeding. Patients may present with several neurological alterations such as urinary dysfunction, muscle weakness and, in more severe cases, a progressive myelopathy leading to the need for a wheelchair. The virus can also cause leukemia or lymphoma.
For Dr. Bernardo Galvão, the opportunity fostered the researchers' commitment to continue working towards the promotion of knowledge around HTLV. “We are few, but together we are strong. We need to come together so that we can move forward. I think this meeting is very important, mainly because it marked the XNUMXst HTLV Meeting in Bahia, the state with the highest prevalence of the disease in Brazil, and also because we resumed the international HTLV symposium in Brazil and this will allow us to unite to achieve our goals”.
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