On the occasion of Rare Disease Day, Echino-Liège [6] and the National Reference Laboratory for Echinococcosis organized a symposium on February 28, 2023 devoted to alveolar echinococcosis, a rare parasitic disease caused by Echinococcus multilocularis which can be transmitted from animals (mainly, the fox) to humans.

Annabelle Calomme (Sciensano, Orphanet Belgium) was invited at this symposium held at the CHU Liège. She gave, as an introduction to this day, a presentation on the activities carried out by the rare disease team at Sciensano [7], including the management of the Orphanet Belgium database but also the management of the Central Registry of Rare Diseases, the Belgian Genetic Tests Database and the participation in the European OD4RD project [8].