Correct information to dispel false myths and fake news. This is the objective of the tenth edition of National Health Week Celiac disease, throughout Italy from 11 to 19 May with informative events and appointments. Promoted by the Italian Celiac Association (AIC), the initiative coincides with World Celiac Day which is celebrated on 16 May. In Italy, there are an estimated 600,000 people with celiac disease, approximately 1% of the national population. According to the Ministry of Health, approximately 251,939 people are diagnosed in our country and approximately 400,000 patients do not know they have celiac disease.
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The initiatives
Gluten-free cooking courses for adults and children, activities in schools, dissemination and information initiatives in direct contact with experts, online and in person. There are many events in the area dedicated to people with celiac disease, promoted to correctly talk about diet without it gluten.
Important spaces within the Week will be dedicated to schools with “Everyone at the table, all together: gluten-free menu days”. The distribution of a gluten-free menu for everyone is planned in the school canteens of numerous Italian municipalities, from kindergartens to middle schools. In the last edition, over 360,000 gluten-free meals were distributed throughout Italy.
In Rome and Lazio
Present in bakeries, groceries and pharmacies in Rome and Lazio, there are information points where people are ready to receive material and gadgets from the association from AIC Lazio volunteers. All information is available on the AIC website and on weekly weekdays.it. Furthermore, in collaboration with the Arsbiomedica Clinic, free gastroenterological, nutritional and psychological consultations are provided for those who suspect celiac disease and wish to undertake a diagnosis process: appointments on 11 and 18 May from 9.00 am.
Palazzo Pirelli lights up red
In Lombardy alone, 600 schools and 20 municipalities will participate in the gluten-free menu days. «For this edition in Lombardy we have so far exceeded 91,000 meals which will be served in around 600 schools – explains Elena Sironi, head of the Food and Schools area of AIC Lombardia – more and more Municipalities, Schools and catering companies believe in this initiative and wish to join it . Special thanks go to them, because they contribute to spreading the principle of inclusion, which “Everybody at the table, Everyone together” embodies, and respect for diversity: because a more inclusive society is a better society for everyone, even at the table!» . And in the meantime, on May 16th the top floor of Palazzo Pirelli, seat of the Regional Council, will light up in red.
Pediatric screening
For Celiac Disease Week, the pilot project of the pediatric screening program for celiac disease and type 1 diabetes, launched by the Ministry of Health and the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in implementation of law 15, will be underway in Lombardy, Marche, Campania and Sardinia. September 2023 n. 130.
The numbers of celiac disease
Celiac disease is the most frequent food intolerance globally, with an average global prevalence of approximately 1%. In Italy, the path leading to diagnosis is still difficult and long, on average it takes six years to receive the diagnosis of celiac disease.
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