Status: Active
Date issued: 8 November 2017
Issued by: Dr Brett Sutton, Acting Chief Health Officer, Victoria
Issued to: Alcohol and Other Drug and Opioid Substitution Therapy workforces
Key messages
- In 2016 in Victoria, there were approximately 56,000 people living with chronic hepatitis B and approximately 65,000 living with chronic hepatitis C.
- The largest risk factor for acquiring hepatitis C is through sharing drug-injecting equipment.
- The Victorian Government is committed to eliminating hepatitis B and hepatitis C as public health concerns, and eliminating the stigma and discrimination associated with these diseases.
- The Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) and Opioid Substitution Therapy (OST) workforces are critical to the drive to eliminate hepatitis B and hepatitis C by 2030, and are encouraged to be adequately informed about viral hepatitis to educate and encourage clients, where appropriate, to be tested and treated for hepatitis B and/or hepatitis C.
Read the full Advisory: Viral hepatitis training for Alcohol and Other Drug and Opioid Substitution Therapy workforces