World Hepatitis Day

28 July is World Hepatitis Day (WHD) – one of nine urgent International Health days highlighted by the World Health Organization and partners across the globe.

The global themes for World Hepatitis Day are ‘Hep Can’t Wait’ and ‘We’re not Waiting’

• We can’t wait for the urgent action needed by governments, health workers and the community to prevent deaths from viral hepatitis through eliminating hepatitis B and C
• We can’t wait to reduce the stigma and discrimination of the condition which affects close to 500,000 Australians

Why does this matter:

• Globally, a person dies every 30 seconds from a hepatitis-related illness
• The global target is to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030
• Currently in Victoria hepatitis C treatment uptake is not on track to meet the National Hepatitis C Strategy target of 65% treatment uptake by 2022. Treatment numbers are declining over time
• The National Hepatitis B Strategy target for people engaged in Hepatitis B care is 50%. Currently in Victoria only 23.1% of those living with hepatitis B are engaged in care
• Liver cancer is the fastest known increasing cause of cancer death in Australia.

#WorldHepatitisDay

Why July 28?

The date of 28 July was chosen for World Hepatitis Day (WHD) in honour of the birthday of Nobel Laureate Professor Baruch Samuel Blumberg, discoverer of the hepatitis B virus and developer of the first hepatitis B vaccine based on research of the Australian antigen.

LiverWELL supports a range of partners to host events, including events for the general public, health care organisations and  ‘at risk communities’ where the prevalence of viral hepatitis is high.

List of partner events:

• • Springvale Neighbourhood House Community Leaders education session– July 21, Springvale Neighbourhood House
  • NEWGens Community education– July 23, Maribyrnong
  • CoHealth Social Housing Project-related event  – July 24
  • Multicultural Health and Support Services / Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health community education session– date TBC, Box Hill
  • North Dandenong Neighbourhood House community education session– July 26, North Dandenong Neighbourhood House
  • Access Health outreach and education– July 26, St Kilda
  • CoHealth NSP outreach event– July 27, Footscray
  • Barwon Health Liver Health and Harm Reduction team incentives launch and micro elimination drive – July 28, Corio NSP
  • Youth Projects WHD foot patrol outreach – July 28 Melbourne city
  • Victorian Aboriginal Health Service incentives launch– July 28, Fitzroy
  • Salvation Army – healthy liver education and lunch– July 26, Flagstaff
  • Salvation Army – healthy liver education and lunch– July 27, Open Door
  • Mildura District Aboriginal Coop – Get to the Point – Tattoos and viral hep festival– July 27, Mildura
  • Gunditjmara Aboriginal Co-op – World Hepatitis Family Day– August 11, Warnambool.

Other events

• World Hepatitis Day Joint Symposium, Burnet & Doherty Institutes –  27 July
• North Richmond Community Health World Hepatitis Day event – July 28, Richmond
• Springvale Snow Festival stall – July 30 
• VHBA  Annual Spotlight on hepatitis B – August  3 – 15th

2023 Communications Campaign and Activities

Socials – please like, share and re-post.

Facebook:

Hep B Mythbusters – https://fb.watch/lRWrRVLuqY/

Hep C Mythbusters – https://fb.watch/lRWsTFR3kq/

LinkedIn:

Hep B Mythbusters – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7086889610764554240

Hep C Mythbusters – https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7086890096926355456

Instagram:

Hep B Mythbusters – https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu0kfE9Istb/

Hep C Mythbusters – https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu0ks7aoOde/

Youtube and TikTok

Hep C Rap Video – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ry_wco1YeAw

World Hepatitis Day Perspectives video

Instagram –https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvLkJcXLAtg/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Face Book – https://www.facebook.com/reel/970083677533241?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=4A8rJ6

LinkedIn –https://www.linkedin.com/company/3120417/admin/feed/posts/

News Article:

https://liverwell.org.au/world-hepatitis-day-is-coming/

Billboards

On St Kilda Road and the corner of Bell St and Plenty Rd, Preston for one week from Monday 24 July.

Radio

Hear ads across the day on WHD on KIIS FM plus bonus spots on DAB+ radio.

Flinders St Station info stand

We will have a information stand at Flinders St Station on Friday 28. Drop by and say hello!

Monuments lighting up green around Victoria:

• Ballarat Clocktower
• Bendigo – Conservatory
• Geelong – Catenary Lights (Malop & Moorabool Sts)
• Melbourne Metro – Bolte Bridge, Tulla SoundTube, Flinders St Station
• Shepparton – Monash Park Tree, Mooroopna Water Tower and Riverlinks Eastbank
• Box Hill – Town Hall
• Drum Theatre – Dandenong.

Following the tradition of lighting up monuments and structures in green around the world for World Hepatitis Day, Melbourne’s Bolte Bridge and Soundtube on the Tullamarine Freeway will be lit up in green for World Hepatitis Day, as well as the catenary lights on Malop St in Geelong, the Ballarat Clock and fountain, and the Bendigo Conservatory.

LiverWELL have launched three videos for a World Hepatitis Day 2022 social media campaign. These are around the actions that everyone can take for their liver health, and getting tested and treated for hepatitis.

Incentives partners can download the poster and add their own event details.
World Hepatitis Day event poster