World Hepatitis Day

World Hepatitis day was marked globally on 28 July.

In 2016 the World Health Organization committed to eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030. In hepatitis C this means a focus on the new and effective treatments as a cure for all.

With universal access to the new revolutionary treatments for hepatitis C on the PBS, Australia is now leading the way for a NOhep future – a future without hepatitis C.

As a Partner in the national World Hepatitis Day Campaign, HFA has been working with Hepatitis Australia and State and Territory Foundations on the annual national awareness campaign and is committed to making a difference on hepatitis C in Australia.

State and Territory Foundation representatives joined HFA in the HFA World Hepatitis Day Working Group to make the campaign more specific to the bleeding disorders community and promote it effectively to the bleeding disorders community around Australia. The Working Group looked more closely at the barriers for the groups identified as not pursuing hep C treatment and has developed a range of strategies to address them.

What has this involved?

• Promoting simple key messages about the new treatments

​New revolutionary hep C treatments.

• Few or minimal side effects, if any
• 95% cure rate across population
• Short treatment courses – 8 – 24 weeks

Change your future today!

Talk to your hepatitis or infectious diseases clinic about treatment that could cure your hep C.

• Creating a short YouTube video about the new treatments

Dr Joe Sasadeusz, an HCV/HIV co-infection specialist in Melbourne with a long history of working with people with bleeding disorders and HFA, offered to assist HFA in making a short YouTube video answering questions about the new treatments for people with bleeding disorders.

Watch the new treatments video at – http://tinyurl.com/hepcvideo

• Developing social media messages to use in the 10 days around World Hepatitis Day

• Inviting community members to consider how we can achieve a future without hepatitis C in the Australian bleeding disorders community

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

• Spread the word!
• If you have hep C, make your health a priority.
• Make sure you have a regular a liver health check
• Talk to your hepatitis or infectious diseases clinic about treatment that could cure your hep C
• Many people with bleeding disorders were exposed to hep C. Have you ever been tested? If you used factor before 1993 – even as a baby – you could be at risk. Act now – if you don’t know whether you have hep C or not, get tested!
• Is something stopping you from getting hep C treatment? Talk to your Haemophilia Centre about solutions. Change your future today!

WHAT’S NEXT?

The HFA World Hepatitis Day Working Group is continuing to work on the health promotion campaign to promote new treatments to people with bleeding disorders and hepatitis C. We have been pleased to hear from Haemophilia Treatment Centres that most people with bleeding disorders and hepatitis C now have appointments with their hepatitis or infectious diseases clinic or have already started treatment. The focus is now on:

• A simple but more detailed fact sheet and video for people who are still hesitating to have treatment
• Addressing the barriers that some people have experienced – promoting pathways to find solutions
• Finding ways to reach people with mild haemophilia or von Willebrand disorder who may have acquired hep C from a treatment before 1993 and not been aware of it.

Watch this space!

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about World Hepatitis Day, visit the website –www.worldhepatitisday.org.au