LiverWELL

Melanie Eagle spoke on JOYFM on 22 December about the recent Hepatitis A outbreak in Australia, and discusses what people can do to avoid getting hepatitis A. A free vaccine is currently available in Victoria for men who have sex with men.

Our resident dietitian Priscilla-Hiromi Correa gives her best tips and advice for keeping your liver healthy this festive season.

"It's great to look back and feel like you have made a meaningful contribution to public health before having entered the workforce..." so says Robbie-Lee Stephen an intern at Hepatitis Victoria studying for a Master of Public Health at the University of Melbourne. Her intern project, led by Community Engagement and Education Project Manager Aurora Tang, is a new community initiative, the Chinese...

Steven talks about his lived experience of acquiring hepatitis C through the healthcare system and successfully undergoing interferon treatment some years later. In the past, this was a time in his life that he preferred not to talk about and forget it happened. Steven reflects on the stigmatisations he witnessed and felt in his professional and personal life, as well as his process of overcoming...

In this month’s stigma story we hear from Kamarra Bell-Wykes, a Yagera and Butchella woman from South-East Queensland. She is the creative director at Ilbijerri Theatre Company. Kamarra reflects on her time spent living with hepatitis C, including the difficulties of coming to terms with the virus at a young age and a bad experience accessing a health service. Despite being involved in the product...

HEP Hero Youhorn Chea believes if you have hepatitis B or hepatitis C it is absolutely vital to see a specialist and get the condition treated. "The medicines are very good and efficacious, but you need to continue to use them, otherwise you could face big health problems, so my message is to get treatment as soon as possible," he says. Youhorn talks about his life overcoming hepatitis C and how a...

Actor Blayne Welsh delighted the audience at HepVics Annual General Meeting with a dazzling performance of several characters from IIbijerri’s latest production ‘Viral’ the third instalment in a trilogy of shows about Indigenous people living with hepatitis C. Viral is about hepatitis C, but also a whole lot more, including poverty and Indigenous dispossession and fake news in the age of Trump. Af...

Our own dear Paul Gow, the Chair of Hepatitis Victoria's Liver Health Advisory Committee from Austin Health was interviewed on ABC Nightlife on October 15 talking all things liver health. He answered an array of fascinating questions touching on nutrition, lifestyle and fatty liver disease, alcohol and the liver, and the need to be mindful of medicines and health supplements.

Emily Male and Amy Hatfield are Monash University students working as interns at Hepatitis Victoria. Emily also does volunteer work with Fitzroy Legal Service. They both have an interest in law reform. Their research at Hepatitis Victoria explores stigma and barriers people face post-cure of hepatitis C. in particular The Australian Red Cross Blood Service Blood Donation Guidelines.

In Peter's experience working with and being involved in the lives of people who have used drugs, he has always maintained a core value of “not judging people and treating them as anyone else”, says Peter Higgs, a social researcher, university lecturer, and former president of Hepatitis Victoria. Read on or listen to his story: http://www.hepvic.org.au/page/1294/peters-stigma-story

Dr Paul Gow is a Liver Specialist at the Austin Hospital and the Chair of Hepatitis Victoria's Liver Health Advisory Committee, a group looking at expanding the work the organisation does beyond viral hepatitis. One in three Australians have fatty liver disease, he says, a looming health crisis for the country. Meanwhile, there are a long list of other liver-related diseases for which there is lit...

We hear about Aye Aye Khaing’s positive experiences when opening up to her family and friends about living with hepatitis B. She mentions that educating herself and those close to her about the condition has alleviated worries around transmission and her wellbeing.

Karen Hoyt is one of our latest HEP Heroes and she is unique in being our first international recipient! Speaking from Oklahoma in the United States where she lives, Karen talks about her diagnosis with hepatitis C and how she experienced the full gamut of conditions leading to a liver transplant. As a result of her condition, Karen became determined to help others, challenge stigma, and remain he...

On 28 July, World Hepatitis Day we launched LiverWELL an Australian app to fight liver disease and hepatitis. Our CEO Melanie Eagle spoke to JOYFM about the significance of the day and why LiverWELL could be a game changer for people living with viral hepatitis and liver disease.

Why do people with liver disease and hepatitis need an app like LiverWELL and what can it do for you? Hepatitis Victoria CEO Melanie Eagle explains how LiverWELL can help those living with the most common forms of viral hepatitis. She also talks about the risks from viral hepatitis and why treatment and management of the condition is so important. LiverWELL is free and available for download for b...

In this month’s stigma story we hear from Jarrod McMaugh, a health professional who works as a pharmacist in the north of Melbourne. Jarrod is also a board member at Hepatitis Victoria. In his day to day Jarrod is treating patients with opioid replacement therapy like methadone or suboxone. Among other disparities, hepatitis C and liver health are common concerns for this population. “There’s no r...

Steven Taylor says volunteering for Hepatitis Victoria," gives you a chance to put your money where your mouth is, to give you some responsibility, to make you feel a bit better about the world you inhabit." As for being a HEP Hero, he says,"...when you share your story it helps you reflect on what you have been through."

Melanie Eagle, CEO of Hepatitis Victoria has recently returned from the Global Hepatitis Summit in Toronto, Canada. A few weeks before, while on a personal trip, she spent time meeting groups dealing with viral hepatitis in Georgia, a Central Asian republic. Her trips give her a unique perspective on how the global battle against viral hepatitis is faring. In this short podcast, she reflects on wh...

A healthy life means looking after your heart, taking care of your gut and loving your lungs. But your liver needs your love too! Hepatitis Victoria’s Love Your Liver-Regional health awareness campaign is being rolled out in Shepparton and progressively in Dandenong, Frankston, and Moe over the coming months. It will then be released in Brimbank, Maribyrnong and Mildura next year. The new slogan “...

Thi reflects on her experiences disclosing and discussing her condition to the various people in her life – including friends, family, and co-workers. The reaction from her peers has been of positivity, support, and curiosity. She highlights the fact that there is no need for people living with viral hepatitis to disclose if they don’t want to. However, simply talking about it with people you are...

Noon Juba and Akuot Tebir are graduate volunteers doing research into the awareness of viral hepatitis in Sudan and in Australia's Sudanese community. Their fascinating study probes the attitudes and perceptions and if those approaches have carried over into the growing Sudanese community in Australia. Both Noon and Akout believe breaking the barrier to diagnosis and treatment lies in raising awar...

Chris Carter is the CEO of North West Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN) and a Hep Hero. “Primary Health Networks can show leadership around advocacy, ensuring the message around blood-borne diseases, STIs and hepatitis gets forward in the public domain at the federal, state and community level,” he explains. “The challenge is trying to get viral hepatitis front and centre and PHNs have a c...

Manuela Urdiste is one of the key people behind the creation of Little Hep B Hero- a family resource about hepatitis. She is part of the Hepatitis Victoria's Community Advisory group which guided the project through conception to completion. "As a mum of two kids, and also living with chronic hepatitis B it was a good chance for me to express my thoughts, my feelings and my ideas to this advisory...

Jennifer MacLachlan is an epidemiologist at the Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity where she collects and analyses data concerning viral hepatitis in Australia. Her team has done ground-breaking work in the National Mapping Projects for hepatitis B and C, attracting widespread attention and giving health advocates important evidence to help fight viral hepatitis. In this short podcast, J...

Priscilla Hiromi Correa is a Brazilian dietitian with a special interest in the liver and people living with liver disease. Mark Pearce, Hepatitis Victoria's Communications Manager, spoke with her on a recent visit to our offices. She recommends against 'fad' diets and is in favour of eating based on Australia's dietary recommendations, for optimum liver and general overall health. "Nutrition is s...