World Hepatitis Day is held annually on 28 July. In 2025 we come together globally to share the message It’s time for action: hepatitis C and liver health remain important issues for our community and acting now is vital.
Your liver can’t wait. You can’t either.
DON’T DELAY. TAKE ACTION TODAY.
Are you at risk? Do you know your hep C status? Find out if you don’t know
Hep C can be cured. Treatment is simple
Do you need ongoing liver health monitoring? Ask your doctor.
A healthy liver is vital to us all. Take steps to look after your liver health.
A healthy liver is important to everyone, whether we have had hep C or not. Your liver has a lot of different jobs to do to keep your body working well.
Click here to find out 5 ways to keep your liver healthy.
You may be aware that in Australia many people with bleeding disorders acquired hepatitis C from treatment with blood products before 1993. Several safety measures were introduced by 1993 and the risk of hep C or HIV from plasma-derived clotting factor products in Australia is now considered to be extremely low. But many people in our community live on with the consequences of those early infections.
Are you over 30 years of age and have a bleeding disorder, or carry the gene? If you had a blood product before 1993 – even once – you could be at risk.
Nearly 1 in 5 Australians with hepatitis C have never been diagnosed and don’t know they have hep C. Symptoms are not always obvious.
You can have a free hep C blood test to find out your hep C status if you don’t know – your GP or your HTC can organise it. Current hep C treatments are simple and easy – a once-daily tablet, with few if any side-effects and very high cure rates.
Most Australians with bleeding disorders and hep C have now had treatment and been cured – but some need ongoing care for their liver health. Although you might think it’s all OK, you may not notice liver disease symptoms. Ignoring your liver health can have serious consequences.
It’s important to know the status of your liver health when you were cured. This determines whether you will need ongoing monitoring.
If you don’t know, take the time today to contact your hepatitis doctor or your GP to check your liver test results. Find out if you need ongoing follow-up with a liver specialist.
Remember: If you had cirrhosis or extensive scarring before being cured of hep C, you will still need to have a liver ultrasound scan every 6 months long-term.
Sadly, some people with bleeding disorders have very advanced liver disease due to long term hep C infection. Close liaison between liver specialists and Haemophilia Treatment Centres is important for treatment and care. Research into management of advanced liver disease is ongoing.
Q: Can I have gene therapy if I’ve had hep C?
A: Yes – as long as you have been cured or you are HCV PCR negative (no active virus in your blood) and your liver is showing signs that it is functioning normally.
Talk to your doctor about this and they may refer you to a liver specialist for some tests to show that your liver is healthy:
* a liver assessment with an ultrasound
* a fibrosis assessment via FibroScan® or another non-invasive assessment such as shear wave elastography or ARFI (Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse)
* and blood tests.
If you are treated with gene therapy for haemophilia, your liver function will be monitored as part of routine care.
There are things you can do to prepare your liver for gene therapy. Visit Keeping your liver healthy to find out more.
Advice from hepatitis specialists Associate Professors Simone Strasser and Joe Sasadeusz and the Australian Haemophilia Centre Directors’ Organisation (AHCDO).
Visit
As a Partner in the national World Hepatitis Day Campaign, HFA works with Hepatitis Australia and the state and territory Haemophilia Foundations on the awareness campaign for the bleeding disorders community and is committed to making a difference on hepatitis C in Australia.
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