Promote early detection of hepatitis B

All Victorians deserve access to the healthcare they need to live long and healthy lives. Yet many Victorians born overseas are not receiving the healthcare they need to stay well.

Liver cancer is the sixth most common, and fastest growing cause of cancer-related deaths in Victoria, with 450 Victorians losing their life to this disease in 2022.

For many Australians born overseas, a major cause of liver cancer is contracting Hepatitis B during infancy or early childhood, especially if they were born in hepatitis-endemic countries without universal access to vaccination.

Hepatitis B can be diagnosed with a simple blood test but currently one in three Victorians living with the virus remain undiagnosed.

Recent data from The Doherty Institute’s Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project found that over 58,000 Victorians are living with hepatitis B, almost 20,000 of which do not know they have hepatitis B, increasing their risk of being diagnosed with liver cancer.

Of those who have hepatitis B, 71.3 per cent are not linked to care, increasing their risk of liver cancer.

By increasing hepatitis B testing and linking those affected to appropriate treatment and care, we can protect more Victorians against preventable hepatitis B-related liver cancer.

Find out more about hepatitis B and liver cancer on the Cancer Council Victoria website.

This World Hepatitis Day on July 28, help to protect more Victorians against liver cancer by raising awareness of hepatitis B and the importance of testing and management to reduce liver cancer risk.

Below you will find text and images for your newsletters, website and social media pages that you can copy and paste and share with your audiences.

Key messages

• Hepatitis B is a virus that can affect your liver, and if left undetected and untreated can increase your risk of liver cancer.
• Hepatitis B can be detected through a simple blood test.
• Hepatitis B is passed through blood or sexual fluids from a person with hepatitis B.
• Most people will get it when they are a baby or a young child; especially people born in places where hepatitis B is common and/or where the hepatitis B vaccine is not available.
• Many people with hepatitis B do not have any symptoms, so it’s important to ask your doctor for a blood test to look for hepatitis B.
• Finding hepatitis B early could save your life.
• Ask your doctor for a blood test today.

Promote messages through your networks

Help raise awareness about hepatitis B and its connection to liver cancer through your communication channels or social media using the suggested copy and tiles below. We really appreciate your support.

We have also developed messages in Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese if this is relevant to your community.

Newsletter copy

Share the below newsletter copy to help increase awareness of hepatitis.

Headline: Get tested for hepatitis B and reduce your risk of liver cancer

Hepatitis B is a virus that can affect your liver and increase your risk of liver cancer.

If found early, hepatitis B can be managed and treated before it can harm your liver. But new data from The Doherty Institute’s Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project has estimated that one in three Victorians living with hepatitis B are yet to be diagnosed, putting them at greater risk of liver cancer.

People born in places where hepatitis B is common, and/or where the hepatitis B vaccine is not available are at increased risk.

Many people with hepatitis B don’t have any symptoms, so it is important to have a blood test to check if you have the virus.

Finding hepatitis B early could save your life. Ask your doctor for a blood test today.

You can learn more about hepatitis and its link to liver cancer, on Cancer Council Victoria’s website.

You can also speak to Cancer Council Victoria’s experienced nurses on 13 11 20.

Social media posts

Don’t forget to tag us: @cancervic

References

• MacLachlan JH, Romero N, Purcell I, Cowie BC. Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project: Hepatitis B National Report 2022. Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia: ASHM; 2024. https://ashm.org.au/vh-mapping-project/