World Hepatitis Day 2022 in the Western Pacific
A summary of World Hepatitis Alliance members’ World Hepatitis Day activities in the WHO Western Pacific region
Celebrating World Hepatitis Day in the Western Pacific
World Hepatitis Alliance (WHA) members in the WHO Western Pacific region were able to effectively raise awareness online and in the media.
Activity: Australia
Hepatitis SA
Hepatitis SA marked World Hepatitis Day 2022 with an annual WHD Quiz. This year the quiz was on Kids & Hepatitis, as part of a micro-elimination campaign.
Hepatitis SA Hep C Peer Coordinator, Lisa Carter, recorded a rapid testing demonstration video as a training tool, the video showed how health, community and peer workers can take hepatitis C testing to the community. Watch the video here. They also shared an information resource for people thinking of getting tested.
Hepatitis NSW
In New South Wales, World Hepatitis Day fell within Hepatitis Awareness Week, 25-30 July. The week includes a range of local and state-wide activities, events, and initiatives to improve population outcomes for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
As part of the effort to reach these many people, the major activity this year in NSW was the roll out of the refreshed HEP CURED health promotion campaign. Read more here.
Hepatitis NSW co-hosted a special event to launch and promote World Hepatitis Day 2022 with South-East Sydney Local Health District and the NSW Ministry of Health. The event was held at Sydney Hospital on 28 July.
The event also saw the launch, by Dr Chant, of a new tri-lingual book published by Hepatitis NSW – Write To Be Heard: Hepatitis B Stories from the Chinese and Korean Communities. A podcast, The Daily Dose, from the North Coast HARP, which tells the personal stories of people who inject drugs, was also launched. Excitingly, the HEP CURED Mobile Mural acted as the main stage with the “Letter Men” at the back, and kerbside with the Domain, spelling out… HEP CURED!
International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU)
To mark World Hepatitis Day, the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) in Australia shared a July newsletter that was entirely hepatitis related. The newsletter included a hepatitis C intervention toolkit and a webinar on how storytelling can help hepatitis C advocacy.