Pathway to eliminating viral hepatitis

LiverWELL has a partnership with Rotary in Victoria, now in its third year, to raise awareness of viral hepatitis. This partnership brings together the expertise LiverWELL has around viral hepatitis and liver health, raising awareness amongst Rotarians and their networks with the aim to accelerate the elimination of hepatitis B and C across Victoria.

LiverWELL’s vision is a Victorian and Australian community where viral hepatitis is eliminated, and where people with liver disease drive the response to liver disease and can maximise their health and wellbeing. This is achieved by providing clear information to people who may have viral hepatitis about symptoms, risk factors, testing, and treatment options. LiverWELL provides training for the health workforce, to increase knowledge and to break down stigma.

The presentation will provide information on viral hepatitis conditions – Hepatitis B and C, which both can cause inflammation of the liver. There is a vaccine that can prevent Hepatitis B and good curative treatment options for Hepatitis C. LiverWELL seeks to raise awareness about testing, treatment and care options for people living with viral hepatitis.

Fiona will provide an overview of viral hepatitis, why it is important to Australians’ health and how we can raise awareness to reduce transmission, get people tested, treated, and vaccinated.

Assisting will be a LiverWELL Lived Experience Speaker, who will talk about hepatitis, giving insights from her experience of Hepatitis C and her knowledge of the impacts of stigma and discrimination. She has a background in health and community work and research. She is passionate about hepatitis education, promoting good liver health and encouraging to the provision of informed healthcare and to increase knowledge in the community. The speaker is a recipient of the Mark Farmer Memorial Award. This award publicly acknowledges and celebrates individuals with Hepatitis C who have:

• Shared their knowledge and experience to help others in the community,
• Increased community knowledge and understanding of hepatitis C,
• Demonstrated positive use of self-management principles in their daily lives.