HepSAY
hepatitis news and views from SA
Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories UncategorisedLeave a comment on Don’t Miss Out – Get life-saving treatments now Thousands of South Australians are missing out on life-saving treatment that can stop serious liver disease, simply because they don’t know about new treatments or are too afraid to ask.
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Author James MorrisonPosted on Categories UncategorisedLeave a comment on Tackling Hepatitis and Other Blood-borne Viruses in Prisons The prevalence of hepatitis C and hepatitis B in Australian prisons is higher than in in the wider community, but prison settings also present and opportunity for testing, monitoring and treatment, especially for hepatitis C since the introduction of new, highly effective drugs that has shortened treatment time dramatically.
Up to 40 per cent of prisoners have hepatitis C, compared to only one per cent in the wider community, and three to four per cent of prisoners have hepatitis B, compared to just under one per cent in the wider South Australian community.
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The stages of chronic hepatitis B infection has been given a makeover. Is it time for Hep B Bear to move aside?
The latest clinical practice guidelines for hepatitis B published by the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) not only set out recommended treatment protocols but also re-framed and re-named the phases of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories Uncategorised1 Comment on Jewel of South Australian Viral Hepatitis Services Kim had just started on the new hepatitis C treatment and things seemed to be going well until he realised he was unable to get his new supply of tablets because he forgot to give his local pharmacist sufficient notice.
His script could not be filled by the time he needed it. This break, early in his treatment, could affect the outcome. In desperation, he told his viral hepatitis nurse of his predicament. The nurses organised a supply and dropped it off to him on a weekend.
The nurses say this is something they can’t do on a regular basis, but it is one example of how this team of dedicated South Australian nurses go out of their way to support the people they are caring for, to ensure the best outcomes.
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Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories UncategorisedLeave a comment on Hepatitis B Community Education Projects in South Australia Hepatitis B community education projects are rolling out around Australia with four in full swing in South Australia.
First off the rank in SA was a project with the Filipino community which Hepatitis SA is carrying out in partnership with the Filipino Settlement Coordinating Council of South Australia (FSCCSA).
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Author Cecilia LimPosted on Categories Uncategorised4 Comments on New Improved Hepatitis B Medicine to be Considered for PBS As Australians with hepatitis C are being cured at unprecedented rates, there is promise of a better medicine for those living with chronic hepatitis B who need treatment.
The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) will, in March, consider for recommendation, a new medicine which promises the same efficacy as current drugs but with less toxic side effects.
The current medicine, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), is effective in suppressing the hepatitis B virus but is also linked to bone density loss and renal dysfunction in some patients. This is due to the high level of tenofovir circulating in the body.
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