“Refugees and migrants have a variety of different health needs, shaped by experiences in country of origin, migration journey, host country’s policies, and living/working conditions. These experiences can increase vulnerability to chronic and infectious diseases.” From ‘Refugee and Migrant Health’, World Health Organization, 2022.
“Refugees are at higher risk for hep B and C, but often face unique barriers to vaccination, testing, and treatment… Additional efforts are needed for hepatitis interventions to ensure access to care for this key population.” From ‘Prevention, testing, and treatment interventions for hepatitis B and C in refugee populations’, BMC Infectious Diseases, 2023.
Here are some resources from our collection – designed for service providers and for refugee populations. All are available online and are free to access (to view the complete collection see the end of the page).
Understanding the Australian medical system
Centre for Culture, Ethnicity & Health, Melbourne, 2023. 4p.
Information about: Medicare and Centrelink cards and the entitlements they offer; how to book a doctor’s appointment; what bulk billing means; the difference between a GP and a specialist; what a pharmacy provides – and when you need a prescription to buy medicine. Available in 14 languages.
Hepatitis B vaccination for your newborn baby
NSW Health, Sydney, 2021. 3-fold brochure
Brief information about: hep B testing in pregnancy, prevention, vaccination of new born babies and treatment of babies born to hep B positive mothers. Available in multiple languages.
Are you living with hepatitis B? Find out. Get tested
Multicultural HIV & Hepatitis Service, Sydney, 2020. Description: Posters, brochures, toolkit and guidelines
Materials that encourage people from Chinese-speaking, Arabic-speaking, Korean, and sub-Saharan African communities to get tested for hepatitis B. 1 in 3 people living with chronic hep B in Australia don’t know they have the virus. Many were born in countries where hep B is common.
Save lives: have a liver test
Ethnic Communities Council of Qld (ECCQ), Brisbane, 2020. Videos 3-6 minutes (scroll down webpage to 2nd set)
Overview of hepatitis B and C: what they are and how they can be transmitted, tested and treated. Available in Arabic, Burmese, Cantonese, Dari, Dinka, English (with captions), French, Juba Arabic, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Korean (with captions).
Fast hep B facts from South Australia’s African communities
African Women’s Federation of SA, Hepatitis SA, PEACE Multicultural Services (RASA), Multicultural Youth SA, Adelaide, 2018. ~2 minute video.
This short, sharp educational video discusses what the liver does, how to keep it healthy, how hep B affects the liver, how it is transmitted, and the importance of testing and treatment.
Australian refugee health practice guide: comprehensive post-arrival health assessment for people from refugee backgrounds (Hepatitis B and C)
Vic Foundation for Survivors of Torture, Melb, 2018. 6-7p.
For doctors, nurses and other primary care providers to inform on-arrival and ongoing health care for people from refugee backgrounds, including people seeking asylum.
For more resources go to the full list
Please contact us for more information or assistance in accessing resources.
Last updated 27 June 2024
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