MHAHS, a statewide service focused on increasing awareness of HIV and viral hepatitis in the diverse communities in NSW, will present at Sydney Local Health District Population Health All Staff Forum held in Sydney on May 29, 2018.

The forum brings together the key population health services Health Promotion Unit, Multicultural Health Unit (MHU), MHAHS, Bilingual Community Education Program, Sydney Health Care Interpreter Service, HIV and Related Programs Health Promotion Team and Heterosexual HIV Service (Pozhet).

Barbara Luisi, Manager of the MHAHS, said, “We are looking forward to the forum. MHAHS has always valued the opportunity to work in partnership with other agencies including those within the Population Health. We are confident the forum will ensure better understanding between the various teams and will help develop more opportunities for collaboration into the future.”

 The MHAHS team will share insights into the current state of the HIV and viral hepatitis among diverse communities and present a snapshot of our work and team, with our cultural support officers being at our core.

The MHAHS presentation is scheduled on Tuesday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. EST.

An exciting new multilingual resource 7 Good Reasons to Test for HIV Now is set to be launched during this year’s HIV Testing Week starting June 1st. Produced by the MHAHS and Positive Life NSW, this new easy to read resource features  everyday people using every day language to explain the many benefits of regular HIV testing.



The resource directly complements this year’s campaign theme Never Tested for HIV? Get Tested Today, according to Barbara Luisi, Manager of the MHAHS.

“There are many reasons to get tested for HIV. Nearly one in ten Australians remain unaware of their HIV status, don’t get HIV medical care on time and can pass the virus on to others without knowing it. Taking the test is the only way to know for sure. The new 7 Good Reasons  to test provides  people the simple, easy to understand information they need regarding HIV testing," said Ms Luisi.

Funded by the NSW Health, the resource is available online at www.mhahs.org.au in Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese. 

The MHAHS is undertaking several initiatives during HIV Testing Week including  an ethnic media campaign in eight languages, a series of Facebook messages  and a free HIV Testing Week Toolkit containing all the digital assets for other organisations to use.

Visit our 7 Good Reasons to test for HIV Now resource page or the 2018 HIV Testing Week campaign page for more information.

The MHAHS along with the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) have launched a new Public Service Announcements (PSAs) campaign encouraging listeners to ask their doctors for a hepatitis B test.

The campaign is being run in partnership with the key community radio stations. It seeks to raise awareness of the consequences of undiagnosed chronic hepatitis B and encourages people to ask their doctor for a hepatitis B test. Launched on the heels of a series of radio interviews with key community leaders, the new campaign will feature two PSAs, including a 40-second dialogue between two friends where one becomes concerned about her own wellbeing when her friend reveals the news of her personal diagnosis.

The PSA highlights the importance of talking openly about hepatitis B, according to Faten Solaqa, project officer for the Arabic Hepatitis B Project at MHAHS.

“The PSA conversation highlights how our conversations with our family, friends and community can help protect the health of the whole community and reduce the spread of hepatitis B. It also emphasises the importance of supporting each other and asking your doctor for a hepatitis B test," said Ms Solaqa.

The PSAs will be broadcast twice a day for two months on 2MFM (Muslim Community radio), Voice of Charity and 2ME radio beginning in May and will further encourage the listeners to get the facts about hepatitis B from the MHAHS website.

Audio files

Radio station name	PSA 1	PSA 2 (dialogue)

For more information about the PSA campaign, please contact Faten Solaqa of the Arabic Community Hepatitis B Project on 9515 1234 or email عنوان البريد الإلكتروني هذا محمي من روبوتات السبام. يجب عليك تفعيل الجافاسكربت لرؤيته.

The MHAHS is launching a social media campaign on PrEP to raise awareness and reduce HIV infections among people from diverse backgrounds.

The campaign will focus on PrEP as an effective method of HIV prevention.

"The PrEP campaign is an important initiative in our ongoing effort against HIV," said Barbara Luisi, manager of the MHAHS.

 “We need people to know their HIV status, and what they can do to prevent HIV.”

The PrEP Social Media campaign is designed to encourage individuals at risk of HIV to consider PrEP, or Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, as a method of HIV prevention. PrEP is a daily pill that protects you from HIV infection. Since 1 April this year PrEP has been  available from pharmacies with a doctor’s prescription. PrEP is up to 99 percent effective in preventing HIV infection.

Click here for more information on PrEP in different languages.