News from Central Eastern Europe and Middle East

From Regional Patient Advocate Michal Rutkowski

Dear HAEi Friends,

The first months of 2026 have been all about staying close to the community and turning plans into concrete action across Central Eastern Europe and the Middle East. While the 2026 Global Angioedema Leadership Conference largely shaped the beginning of the year, I also focused on advancing a range of activities beyond this.

One of the key priorities was promoting the ACARE “Make a Difference” webinars. Working closely with HAEi Member Organizations (MOs), we reached healthcare professionals in over 15 countries, helping raise awareness of HAE where it remains under-recognized.

In the Middle East, some of our work has been happening behind the scenes. In Saudi Arabia, we prepared for an hae day :-) patient meeting in Riyadh— shaping the agenda with local expert physicians and exploring collaboration with industry partners. Due to the current situation in the region, the meeting has been postponed to Q4 2026, but the groundwork is firmly in place for a meaningful event later this year. I’ve also been supporting HAE Oman in developing a new, more comprehensive HAEi-hosted website, which is expected to go live by the end of Q2.

Mohamed Osman, HAEi Advocacy Facilitator for MENA, and I participated in the ACARE Preceptorship in Cairo in January. The event brought together around 75 healthcare professionals from across the region and proved to be a great success. In HAEi’s 45-minute session, we presented our key resources and initiatives, followed by engaging discussions and networking with local experts.

Across the region, I’ve had a very hands-on quarter with MOs; regular one-to-one calls with patient leaders in countries such as the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Lebanon, Latvia, Kazakhstan, the UAE, and Ukraine focused on practical support, sharing ideas, and advancing local initiatives. The calls led to ongoing work developing and improving MO websites, including in Latvia and Kazakhstan.

There were also opportunities to connect in person. In February, I attended the Emirates Allergy and Clinical Immunology Conference in Abu Dhabi, where I had valuable conversations with healthcare professionals and the HAE UAE patient leader, helping strengthen relationships for future collaboration.

In April, as HAEi RPA for Central and Eastern Europe, I had the privilege of attending and presenting at HAE Hungary’s 30th-anniversary patient meeting in Budapest. This special event also served as the organization’s General Assembly, where a new President and Board were elected.

At the beginning of May, I joined another edition of the Summer Camp for children and teenagers living with HAE, organized by HAE Junior Czech Republic. During the camp, HAEi had a 90-minute session, which I used to present “The State of Management of HAE” in Central Eastern Europe, with a particular focus on the Czech Republic. The success of the camp was thanks to the dedication of the entire HAE Junior team, especially President Camelia Isaic. This year’s theme, “Stronger than HAE Through Sports,” highlighted the positive impact of physical activity on both physical and mental wellbeing. It was inspiring to see how sport can build confidence, resilience, and a strong sense of community among young participants.