On World Hepatitis Day, Thursday 28 July, Canberra landmarks will glow green. The National Museum of Australia, Malcolm Fraser Bridge, Old Parliament House, John Gorton Building, National Carillon, and all light rail stops will light up in a call to eliminate viral hepatitis.
World Hepatitis Day raises awareness for one of the most deadly and neglected diseases. Globally, one person dies of hepatitis-related illnesses and complications every 30 seconds – even amidst the pandemic.
The World Health Organization has mandated 28 July as the global public health day for hepatitis. The theme for World Hepatitis Day 2022 is ‘Hep can’t wait’.
“The goal set by the World Health Organization is to eliminate hepatitis by 2030,” Executive Officer of Hepatitis ACT, Sarah Ahmed, reminds Canberrans.
“This is a public health crisis that nobody is talking about. There is an urgent need for action now. We are so close to eliminating viral hepatitis, we just need that little push from policy makers and from global funders,” says Ms Ahmed. “We still are getting infections in Canberra.
“There is a vaccine for hepatitis B, yet still no vaccine for hepatitis C. There is a cure for hepatitis C, but no cure for hepatitis B.
“The only way to fix this is to put more funding towards viral hepatitis elimination. There are so many people living with hep B or hep C that are unaware; they need testing to be more readily available. We need more treatments, more testing, and more screening.”
This year, Hepatitis ACT is also raising their voice to talk about social injustice caused by lack of action to eliminate viral hepatitis, and call on policy makers and decision makers to join the fight to eliminate hepatitis by 2030.
“We demand that decision makers prioritise the elimination of hepatitis and highlight the inequity and social injustice being caused by the current lack of action and funding from the government,” says Ms Ahmed.
Stigma and discrimination experienced by those living with hepatitis B and C is associated with:
- Negative health outcomes
- Deteriorating mental health
- Feelings of social isolation
Stigma and discrimination within the health care sector is commonly reported by people living with viral hepatitis.
“Ending the stigma will cause people to be more open to getting tested, which leads to early intervention. It would lead to people becoming peer educators in our community, minimising the risk of infection, and increasing the chance of an infected person getting the support they need,” says Ms Ahmed.
“I look forward to the day our organisation becomes redundant, because that means we have done our job of eliminating viral hepatitis.”
Visit hepatitisact.com.au or hepatitisaustralia.com for more information.
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