Want to understand the numbers on viral hepatitis in your area? This World Hepatitis Day we encourage you to access the Viral Hepatitis Mapping Report, allowing you to determine the statistics on the prevalence, management and treatment by state, territory, PHN and SA3 across Australia.
Published in November 2021, the Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project: National Report 2020 is a joint initiative of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis (WHOCCVH) at the Doherty Institute, in partnership with the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health (ASHM) and is based on data from national communicable disease surveillance along with records available from Medicare Australia and the Australian Cancer Atlas.
The report includes:
- prevalence, diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of hepatitis B and C
- incidence of liver cancer (a new addition to this iteration of the report)
- priority regions for improving access to treatment and care
The report has been developed with the aim of furthering our understanding of chronic viral hepatitis in Australia through assessing variation in prevalence and care uptake according to geographic region.
Did you know?
– Hepatitis B: Treatment uptake for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in 2020 was 10.7% overall in Australia, well short of the National Strategy target of 20% by 2022 and only 22.6% of people with CHB were engaged in regular care, less than half the National Strategy target of 50%.
–Hepatitis C: By December 2020, it was estimated that 47% of all Australians living with CHC had received treatment and Australia is not projected to meet the 2022 National Strategy target of 65%.
– Liver cancer: The inclusion of data regarding liver cancer is a vital reminder of the impact of unmanaged and untreated viral hepatitis.
Projections against the National Hepatitis B and C Strategy elimination targets demonstrate that while some regions of Australia are on track to reach these targets, many are falling behind.
Refer to the report to see how your area is tracking against elimination targets.
Data included in this report can be further explored using the Online Portal, which provides interactive visualisations of these variations. This interactive tool also allows you to compare areas of interest.
There is a significant opportunity for the information in this report to be used to identify gaps in the care cascade and areas (both geographical and otherwise) where improvements to care and treatment access is required.
We encourage you to utilise this data to underpin your calls to action this World Hepatitis Day, as it so clearly highlights – Hepatitis Can’t Wait.
Refer to the report here and explore the online portal here.
