General

On Sunday 12th February Oliver - the mascot for the Love Your Liver campaign - competed in the inaugural St Kilda Festival Mascot Dance-Off. Despite having all the smooth moves, plus a killer backing song (Love Your Liver by Criston Barker) he was bested in a popular vote by the Cornetto Bear. Conspiracy theories abounded but Ollie was gracious in defeat, accepting that the Bear was just better on the day.

Shane Laffy is a 35 year veteran of the music industry and has spent the past decade working in community television in Victoria. Shane, who is 56 this year, also has hepatitis C and in 2004 needed a transplant to replace his failing liver. He has been using his new lease on life by living a much healthier lifestyle.

People living with hepatitis C will be able to access free hepatitis B vaccination from their doctor from 1 February 2012.

People with hepatitis B or hepatitis C should also consider vaccination for hepatitis A. Unfortunately the hepatitis A vaccination is not subsidised by the government. Speak to your doctor about whether a hepatitis A vaccination is recommended for you.

Hepatitis Victoria has its own team in FebFast this year - The Liver Lovers! Help us out by sponsoring us.

FebFast raises funds to support programs for young people with drug and alcohol problems. Individuals and teams raise money by being sponsored to take the month of February off from alcohol. Seng grog on a holiday! Sponsor us, sponsor someone else or join up yourself and love your liver!

The Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA) is asking all Victorians to provide feedback and ideas on how the harms associated with alcohol and drugs can be reduced.

The Victorian government is looking for input into its Whole of Government Review into Victoria’s Alcohol and Drug Strategy

You can have your say by:

An urgent call to action for people with hepatitis C:  the Government needs your opinion on new and more effective Hepatitis C treatment drugs

Aboriginal Health Educator (Part Time)

Project Worker - 0.8 EFT/ 4 days per week

Hepatitis Victoria is a statewide, not for profit, community based, public health organisation committed to reducing the impact of viral hepatitis. Hepatitis Victoria provides information, support, referral, education and advocacy for people living with viral hepatitis and training for those who work with them.

An early clinical trial of a hepatitis C vaccine has shown ‘promising’ results, according to British researchers at Oxford University.

Designing a vaccine for hepatitis C has been difficult as the virus changes its appearance, making it hard to find something to target. Writing in Science Translational Medicine, researchers say their trial on 41 patients shows it is possible to target.

China has approved a hepatitis E vaccine, claimed to be the world's first. In China the incidence of hepatitis E has increased notably and become the most common among all types of hepatitis infecting adults in that country. The vaccine received a certificate for medicine production in December 2011.

Hep C: Take Control is Hepatitis Victoria’s six week program for people with hepatitis C who want to better manage their health and would like support to make healthy choices. In 2012 Hep C: Take Control is being conducted in partnership with Integrated Hepatitis C Service Nurses around the state.