14th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference

Staff from Hepatitis NSW attended the recent 14th Australasian Viral Hepatitis Conference on the beautiful Larrakia country, Garamilla (Darwin), Northern Territory. The theme of the conference was “Strength in Unity,” and together we explored ways to harness the strength of our community, celebrate our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce, and forge partnerships for change.
Hepatitis NSW featured twice in the packed conference program. First as part of the Ministry of Health facilitated session “A United Approach to Hepatitis C Elimination in NSW” in which our CEO, Steven, presented “The Power of Peers, Partnerships and Place”. Steven’s presentation focused on the important and valuable role lived experience peers have in supporting people navigating the health care system, improving health care delivery and delivering testing and treatment. The wide range of services and support provided by Hepatitis NSW highlighted the flexibility and connectedness of community organisations that can be tapped into. The session included a panel discussion where Steven and our sector colleagues discussed the value, challenges and rewards of developing and delivering a statewide hepatitis C strategy, as well the unique benefits community sector organisations bring to achieving elimination.

Hepatitis NSW also participated in the Poster Presentation section of the program. Developed by our Community Support and Engagement Manager, Grace, we exhibited a poster on
“Comparing Dried Blood Spot and Point of Care testing cascade of care outcomes.”
Ensuring minimal loss to the cascade of care better guarantees positive outcomes for people from vulnerable populations. As part of a HCV health awareness campaign in July 2023, Hepatitis NSW peers worked with clinical partners from LHDs to engage with community members and prompt HCV testing.

The conference received a total of 44 abstracts, with 24 focusing on Hep C and 13 on Hep B. One of the most interesting topics was the work to achieve triple elimination (HIV, hep B, and syphilis) by testing and treating all pregnant women in the Asia-Pacific region, including countries like Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. These efforts are crucial in areas with high hepatitis prevalence. The rising incidence of hep B in Sub Saharan Africa has started discussions about using existing HIV facilities for hep B vaccination and treatment. Although hep B and HIV target different groups, both are lifelong viral diseases requiring ongoing management.

This year, the conference highlighted the work of Hep B advocacy groups. The powerful presentation by Dee Lee from the INNO Community Development Organisation in China shed light on the discrimination towards the people with hep B and the need for stronger advocacy globally. In Australia, Hep B Voices actively encouraged participation, emphasising the importance of representing those affected by hep B.

TAKEAWAYS

• Strengthening our peer programs to ensure better outcomes along the care continuum.
• First Nations Peoples’ unique experiences and cultural context require tailored approaches.
• Stigma and discrimination persist. Co-design solutions with affected communities, acknowledge the distinct experiences of First Nations peoples.
• Pacifica communities are diverse, a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate.
• Research is essential for evidence-based activities. Sometimes, the research lens can overshadow the richness of community narratives.

Health Care in Secure Settings Conference

The Health Care in Secure Settings conference, which explored the unique challenges of providing health care in custodial and forensic mental health settings, was held early August at the ICC, Darling Harbour. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to network with a variety of key stakeholders, including Justice Health NSW, to strengthen existing relationships and to establish new ones. Two delegates from Hepatitis NSW, Susanne and Emma, attended.

Susanne, who oversees the Hepatitis Infoline, had a poster – Hepatitis Infoline Providing Support to People in Custodial Settings – on display at the conference. The poster described the support provided to people in custody by the Hepatitis Infoline team, and the printed hepatitis and liver health resources callers from prison can request by calling #3 on their free calls Common Auto Dial List (CADL).

The poster also highlighted the success of our support – through the data collected from callers’ feedback – and illustrated the impact the Infoline service has – in close partnership with Justice Health NSW – in engaging callers from prison to get tested and treated. This is reflected in the high cure rates of hep C in NSW prisons, reported by Justice Health NSW, since the introduction of the new direct acting antivirals (DAAs) in 2016.

Conference highlights included hearing about various projects in NSW prisons and beyond, which aim to improve the health outcomes for people in custody through concentrated efforts addressing a wide range of issues. These ranged from nutrition to reducing and improving custodial associated mental health impacts on women, their children and wider families as well as introducing new therapies such as behavioural activation and the development of national minimal standards for custodial health.

Most relevant to Hepatitis NSW was the session which outlined the importance of educating correctional staff in blood borne virus prevention and how this education can reduce the transmission and prevalence of hep C in custodial settings.

Finally, we were reminded that despite the challenges, understaffing and under resourcing, to not grow weary when interacting with people in custodial settings and to continue to offer health care services with humanity and dignity.

Hep B and Multi-Cultural Team Outreach

Our Hepatitis B Multicultural Officer, Willis, and our student intern Zhenzhu, have been continuing our Community Outreach Program. The Team conducted an education session with Western Sydney Sexual Health Clinic at TAFE Lidcombe on August 14 with 130 participants.
A great success with informative feedback and huge interest in screening and testing.
On August 20, they joined the Hello Doctors Expo at TAFE Lidcombe, partnering with Storr Liver Clinic to raise awareness of hep B among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse TAFE students and carry out point-of-care testing. The Multicultural Team will once again join the Hello Doctors Expo at TAFE Padstow, August 28, and are looking forward to another engaging event.

New Custody to Community Program

Hepatitis NSW is pleased to announce the official launch of an exciting new program, the Custody to Community Epclusa Patient Support Program.

This targeted program supports participants at nominated correctional centres who have hep C, have commenced Epclusa medication, and who will be released into the community before completing their treatment. 

Acknowledging that returning to the community can be a challenging time in an individual’s life, this program offers both in-reach and community support services to eligible participants. 

Two newly appointed Project Officers at Hepatitis NSW will deliver the program and will meet with participants at the eligible correctional centres and provide support in the community. Participants will also be linked with medical providers who can provide them with ongoing hep C care. Participants will also be supported and encouraged to get tested so that they can know that they have been cured from hep C. 

The Custody to Community Epclusa Patient Support Program is funded by Gilead Sciences Pty Ltd.

Our Free Tx! MAG is Out!

Tx! Mag #44! Is now available.
In this edition, our first story highlights the value of a support network when thinking about hep C treatment, in this case an Aunty with lived experience comes to the rescue. The second story talks about how easy it is to get up-to-date and true information about hep C treatment, even a child can do it. No disrespect, kids!

“Gettin’ it Right” is the story of young Andy who got hep C sharing a fit. Stigma and discrimination weigh heavily upon his mind, but Aunty Liz gives great information and assists Andy on his treatment journey. Aunt also learns a thing or two along the way. Teamwork!

“Don’t Wanna Lose You!” Laura has had hep C for years and really, REALLY does not want to talk about it. However, her daughter, Katie, has other ideas and soon “turns the truck around”. Our thanks to the hep C community peers who were originally involved in the focus group which helped feed into these stories.
Tx! MAG #44 has our usual puzzles, a competition and a survey. You can go in the draw to win a $100 Coles/Myer voucher for both the survey (p12) and competition (p24), so fill them out and send them in… no postage required! And yes, the prizes do go to real people!

Hope you enjoy Tx! MAG #44!

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Happy Birthday, EMPOWER!

EMPOWER turns 1 this week! Happy Birthday, EMPOWER!

EMPOWER is a peer implemented testing program that includes a 1-minute hep C antibody test with referral for a GeneXpert RNA Point of Care test for those who require it. It is a sub-study of the National Australia Point-of-Care Testing program led by the Kirby Institute.

Hepatitis NSW are expanding our team as this community outreach becomes more and more popular. In August we recruited, onboarded and trained additional peers with lived experience of hep c and hep c treatment.

Peers learn about the history of the program, the 1-minute hep C testing process and their place in the cascade of care. They learn about the nuances of the program, safety and ethics, fully informed consent and appropriate language. Peers are an important link between accessing testing and accessing treatment.

EMPOWER is currently operating in the Sydney Metropolitan area with SLHD, SESLHD, WSLHD. If any other LHDs in the Metropolitan area wish to work with the Empower program please get in touch, [email protected].

Introducing Shein. Our Dynamic Student Intern

I am an international student from Myanmar, currently pursuing the Master of Public Health (MPH) at the University of Sydney. I have a background in medical sciences. I have been working in public health sectors in Myanmar, delivering humanitarian responses to vulnerable communities affected by the armed conflicts. I was involved in program implementation and quality improvement in the field of maternal and child heath, immunisation, nutrition, prevention and control of HIV and hepatitis while I was working with Médecins du Monde, International Organization for Migration and UNICEF in Myanmar.

In 2023, I received an Australia Awards Scholarship to continue my postgraduate study in Australia. The Master of Public Health has enabled me to learn more about professional knowledge and skills particularly in addressing critical challenges in real-world public health scenarios.

In addition to academic study, I have a placement here at Hepatitis NSW. I engage in various hepatitis prevention and education activities such as education sessions and point-of-care hepatitis testing in a community setting. Working at Hepatitis NSW not only allows me to learn and network with professionals from different backgrounds, but also to work directly and foster connections with local communities. I am proud to be part of the Hepatitis NSW team, and the placement experience will be pivotal in shaping my future career in the public health sector.

Dr. Thomas Tu Nominated For The People’s Choice Award

Congratulations to Dr Thomas Tu on being named a finalist for the Sydney Awards, which means being a nominee in the People’s Choice Award public voting campaign! 

Dr. Thomas Tu is a molecular biologist focusing on the persistence of cccDNA and the pathogenesis linked to integrated HBV DNA. He is particularly passionate about developing a HBV cure and mitigating the associated liver cancer, as he himself lives with chronic hepatitis B.

You can vote for Dr. Tu at sydney.org.au/vote

Monitoring Hep B Stigma. Invitation To Join UNSW Research

Researchers at UNSW Sydney (The University of New South Wales) are seeking volunteer research participants who can help us learn more about Middle East and North Africa and sub-Saharan African communities’ knowledge about hepatitis B and health seeking behaviour as well as attitudes towards people who are living with hepatitis B.

For the complete invitation please click here
For Frequently Asked Questions, click here
Follow these links to the survey. English, Arabic, French, Swahili.

Lucy Clynes Joins Hepatitis Australia as CEO

Lucy Clynes has commenced as the new Hepatitis Australia CEO. 

Prior to joining Hepatitis Australia, Lucy was General Manager of Research Australia, the national peak body for Australian health and medical research.  In addition, Lucy has experience as a practising lawyer and also held policy roles across both state and federal government, including working as Deputy Chief of Staff for a government minister.  

General Manager, Josh Anlezark, left Hepatitis Australia on 26 August 2024 to take up the role of CEO at Meridian ACT where he has been the Interim CEO over the recent period. 

Hepatitis NSW extends a warm NSW welcome to Lucy and Sara, as well as our thanks and best wishes to Josh. For further details please follow this link.

The Champion is our free monthly eNews with updates on hep C, hep B, treatment news, social media campaigns, living well with viral hepatitis, and events. To subscribe and receive a monthly edition of the The Champion to your inbox, please complete this confidential form: