Taking Malta’s Voice to Vienna: Breaking the Invisible Burden of Atopic Eczema

Taking Malta’s Voice to Vienna: Breaking the Invisible Burden of Atopic Eczema
On 2 October 2026, I had the privilege of representing the Malta Eczema Society at the European Federation of Allergy and Airways Diseases Patients’ Associations (EFA) policy session on atopic eczema in Vienna. Patients, dermatologists, researchers and policymakers came together around one question: what needs to change for people living with atopic eczema in Europe?

A conversation across the whole care pathway
The session explored themes that our members know all too well:

Earlier diagnosis, so that people are not left struggling for years before getting the right help
Better-connected care, bringing dermatology, primary care and other specialties together around the patient
Patient education, so people can understand and manage their condition with confidence
New technologies and how they can improve access and support
Stronger partnerships between patients, clinicians, researchers and decision-makers
The role of patient organisations in driving change
I spoke on the panel on multidisciplinary care alongside Prof. Aleksandra Lesiak, Co-chair of the EADV Patient and Advocacy Task Force, and Dr. Kenneth Thomsen of Aarhus University Hospital. The session was moderated by Susanna Palkonen, EFA Director.

Malta’s story
For me, it was important to bring a small-country perspective to a European conversation. Since our founding in 2001, the Malta Eczema Society has worked to make life with eczema visible, and our advocacy has shown what patients and the medical community can achieve together. Our petition to have severe chronic eczema recognised under Schedule V gathered over 7,000 signatures, and in 2021 Schedule V was amended to include severe chronic eczema. That result came from patients speaking up and clinicians standing alongside them.

I also reflected on the opportunities that the World Health Assembly resolution on skin diseases and the forthcoming Global Action Plan could open up for smaller EU countries like Malta. Our size is no barrier to being heard, and the Vienna session reinforced how much we gain by connecting with partners across Europe.

#BreakTheInvisibleBurden
Atopic eczema is often called an invisible burden: the itch, the lost sleep, the mental health impact and the stigma are not always seen by those around us. EFA’s #BreakTheInvisibleBurden campaign aims to change that, and its new policy brief on atopic eczema sets out concrete recommendations for Europe.

Thank you
My thanks to EFA for the invitation and for leading this work, and to my fellow speakers: Prof. Aleksandra Lesiak; Dr. Kenneth Thomsen; Snezana Sundic Vardic of Alergija i Ja; Visnja Zaborski Breton of GlobalSkin and IADPO; and Eva Hottenroth, City Councillor for Health, Social Affairs and Sports in Scheibbs, Austria. Thank you also to everyone who joined us in Vienna and online.

The Malta Eczema Society will keep working so that people living with eczema in Malta are seen, heard and supported.