Hepatitis Awareness Week runs from 22-28 July, with World Hepatitis Day on 28 July. This year’s theme, ‘It’s time for action,’ focuses on liver health. Your liver performs over 500 vital functions, but hepatitis B and C can damage it, especially if undiagnosed and untreated.

In Australia, over 200,000 people live with chronic hepatitis B, many unaware they have the virus. Hepatitis B is preventable with a vaccine and manageable with regular checkups. The only way to know if you have hepatitis B is by getting tested.

‘Early diagnosis is essential. Many may not realise they have chronic hepatitis B until it's too late. Prompt testing and treatment are our best defences,’ says Kristen McKee, Hepatology Clinical Nurse Consultant at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital.

Multilingual resources for you and your community

The Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (MHAHS) campaign, ‘Are You Living with Hepatitis B? Find Out. Get Tested,’ targets communities with lower testing rates, including Chinese, Arabic, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, Vietnamese, and sub-Saharan African communities. The campaign offers free multilingual brochures, posters, and videos on the MHAHS website and in print.

‘Our goal is to enable communities to make informed health decisions. We encourage everyone to talk to their healthcare provider about hepatitis B testing,’ says Barbara Luisi, Director of MHAHS. Testing is free for Medicare cardholders. For those without a Medicare Card, contact NSW Health Sexual Health Clinics for free testing. All conversations with your doctor are confidential.

Act now. Get tested! Spread the word about hepatitis testing and treatment. Download the MHAHS multilingual Hepatitis Awareness Week 2024 toolkit with resources, messages, and social media tools to share.

For more information about the campaign, visit here. For general inquiries, call the Hepatitis NSW Infoline on 1800 803 990.

On December 1, as the world observes World AIDS Day, we shine a light on the crucial role communities play in ending HIV transmission. This year's global theme, "Let Communities Lead," underscores the strength of community work in the global fight against HIV.

"The 2023 Australian campaign theme, 'Inclusion, Respect, Equity,' highlights the pressing need to make HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services more inclusive," says Barbara Luisi, Manager of the Multicultural HIV and Hepatitis Service (MHAHS). Our goal is to tackle HIV stigma and ensure that these services are accessible to all, including individuals from diverse backgrounds.

"HIV remains a public health concern in Australia, with over 29,000 people living with HIV," warns Barbara Luisi. "These communities are more likely to miss timely HIV services, but it's essential to know that HIV treatment is available for free, even if you don't have a Medicare card."

To support this campaign, MHAHS is promoting its award-winning resource, "HIV: What you need to know," available in eight languages. The e-booklet can be downloaded from the MHAHS website, and free hard copies are available to order. Supporters can also download a toolkit on the range of multilingual resources available and how to support the campaign.

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In October 2023, Population Health joined hands with the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) communities in New South Wales to support Mental Health Month. The "We all have a role to play" campaign aimed to raise awareness about mental health and services, aligning with the theme of World Mental Health Day, "Our minds, our rights."

From October 9-15, the campaign targeted ten priority communities in NSW: Arabic-speaking, Bangla, Chinese-speaking, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Nepalese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese communities.

It was amplified through a Mental Health Month Electronic Direct Mail (EDM) and Social Media messages, showcasing an array of valuable resources.

Campaign participants had the opportunity to:

• Gain Essential Skills: By enrolling in the Mental Health First Aid course, individuals learned how to identify, assist, and support those in need, becoming a lifeline rather than a bystander.
• Explore Nutrition and Healthy Eating: Discovering the connection between nutrition and mental health became possible through tailored education sessions for adults 60+, available in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, and Vietnamese.
• Experience Mindfulness Wellbeing: Multicultural Mindfulness audio tracks, available in various languages, helped enhance mental wellbeing. An interview with relaxation facilitator Sue Bryne provided deeper insights.
• Access multilingual mental health resources.

The HIV Roundtable event was held on 10 August 2023, at Canterbury Hurlstone-Park RSL. The event brought together health professionals, multicultural community leaders and Ministry of Health staff to create a platform for share knowledge and community perspectives, with the goal of improving access to HIV prevention, testing, and treatment for CALD communities. 

The discussions were lively and informative, and emphasised the need to bundle HIV information with broader health information; optimise on partnerships with faith leaders and CALD community leaders; unite health services; address accessibility, confidentiality, and discretion concerns around HIV.

 Watch the NSW HIV Roundtable highlights.