The members of the ISF’s Psoriasis Council have met for the first time in Dublin to develop an agenda to help people with psoriasis in Ireland.
The first Council members have been invited by ISF Board Members, Dr Brian Kirby and Caroline Irwin (Chair and Secretary of the Council respectively), to champion psoriasis, encourage greater community engagement and to ensure a clear voice for people with the condition.
The ISF Psoriasis Council: Louise Lamari, Helen Hanrahan, Brian Kirby, Denise McGowan, Caroline Irwin, Lisa O’Connor and Eddie Tyrrell (absent from this photo Teresa Power, Kevin O’Connor and Theresa Tierney-Bugler.)
At the inaugural meeting, the Council considered advocacy issues, information booklets for adults and children with psoriasis and the psychological impact of the disease among other issues.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognised “as a chronic, non-communicable, painful, disfiguring, and disabling disease for which there is no cure”. The WHO also states that the “pain, itching and bleeding caused by psoriasis leads to social and work-related stigma and discrimination”.
The Council agreed to address election candidates on these and other issues in the coming weeks. The ISF estimates that there are 73,000 people with psoriasis in Ireland – 9,000 of who have severe psoriasis.
In 2015 the ISF decided to set up a number of councils (about Psoriasis, Eczema, Skin Cancer and Advocacy) to encourage greater community engagement and to ensure a clear voice for the individual groups with specific needs.
