Canberrans can be tested for hepatitis and receive their results within the hour at a free outreach clinic in Oaks Estate today.
Hepatitis ACT and the Canberra Alliance for Harm Minimisation and Advocacy will run the testing and information service from 11am to 3pm as part of World Hepatitis Day activities.
Hepatitis is a blood-borne disease that, untreated, can lead to cirrhosis of the liver or to liver cancer, the fastest-growing cause of cancer death in the country. An estimated 31 per cent of people living with hepatitis are undiagnosed.
Although many believe that hepatitis is primarily spread through people injecting drugs, the disease can also be spread through getting tattooed in unregulated spaces, getting piercings or medical procedures in unsterile conditions, or, before 1990, blood transfusions. It can also be transmitted from mother to child at birth.
Hepatitis B has a safe and effective vaccine; although there is no cure yet, treatment keeps the viral load down and minimises liver damage. Hepatitis C can be cured within two to three months; direct-acting antivirals treat the disease with minimal side-effects (some people feel nauseous).
The service uses portable point-of-care machines to test for hepatitis antibodies and RNA. A finger-stick test (a blood sample) gives results within the hour, avoiding a week-long wait for traditional pathology results.
Anyone who tests positive can immediately access support from peer workers. A Hepatitis ACT nurse and a nurse practitioner from Bridging Health can carry out a clinical assessment and determine whether treatment can begin. In a traditional testing setting, this process can take more than five weeks.
Hepatitis ACT chief executive Sarah Ahmed said outreach clinics went directly to people who might otherwise have difficulty accessing healthcare.
“Most of our testing is now conducted through outreach programs like this one,” Ms Ahmed said. “We must remove as many barriers to care as possible; one of the biggest being location.
“Rather than asking people to come to us, we take testing and treatment to where people are already located.”
Other barriers include stigma, housing instability, social factors, and hesitancy around previous treatment options like interferon.
The service is free, non-judgemental, and stigma-free, and can connect people with other health and social services where needed.
Hepatitis ACT and CAHMA have conducted more than 1,700 free hepatitis C tests since they began their partnership in 2022.
Executive director Chris Gough said: “Working together to support people to access hepatitis testing and treatment means we can work to each organisation’s strengths to provide easy to understand support and system navigation to a wide range of community members, allowing our community to all live our best lives.”
Hepatitis ACT runs several sessions each month at pharmacies, community organisations, housing sites, and other places in Canberra.
Hepatitis ACT
36 David Street, Turner, opposite the O’Connor shops; drop-ins welcome, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Free call 1800 437 222. www.hepatitisact.org.au
