The Ministry of Health has declared June as Vitiligo Awareness Month in Kazakhstan. The purpose of World Vitiligo Day (WVD) is to help patients overcome prejudices, gain access to modern methods of treating vitiligo and lead a full life, El.kz reports with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
For the first time, Almaty has been chosen as the international headquarters of the 13th World Vitiligo Day (WVD), which will be celebrated on June 24, 2023.
Kasymkhanova Aliya, Candidate of Medical Sciences, dermatologist of the Center for Vitiligo and Skin Health in Almaty, member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the VRF (World Foundation for the Study of Vitiligo), was elected President of WVD.
Dermatologists of the country have done a lot of work to introduce highly effective methods of treating this disease. If in 2010 in Kazakhstan there was only one Waldman phototherapy unit in Shymkent for the treatment of vitiligo, then in 2022 the "gold standard for the treatment of the disease" is already being carried out in 13 centers of the country. Phototherapy is used in three republican and 10 regional centers.
In 2015, surgical methods of treatment were introduced for the first time in the Republic of Kazakhstan in Shymkent. Today, four types of surgical operations are available at the Center for Vitiligo and Skin Health in Almaty, which allow you to achieve efficiency from 85% to 100%.
Kazakh scientists have identified significant genotypes that affect the prognosis of vitiligo, developed a protocol for combination phototherapy, as well as algorithms for managing patients based on genetic testing and with progressive vitiligo.
More than 12,000 patients with vitiligo problems applied to Kazakh dermatological institutions during the year. This figure is probably more than 2-3 times higher, as many doctors and patients are not informed about possible treatments for vitiligo. Many, due to embarrassment, public condemnation and stigma, prefer to hide the disease and do not go to doctor's appointments, which is a serious obstacle in treatment.
As part of the WVD campaign, an international conference entitled "Vitiligo: A Look into the Future" will be held in Almaty on June 24 with the participation of practitioners, researchers and patients from around the world.
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