Hepatitis C is a virus that damages your liver. The liver is an important organ in our body
that does lots of jobs to help keep us healthy.
If left untreated, overtime Hepatitis C causes
scarring on the liver, which can lead to liver failure
and an increased risk of liver cancer.
Symptoms for Hepatitis C can be very general,
like feeling tired all the time and feeling rundown
However, not everyone will have symptoms. It is important to remember that your liver
can still be getting sick or damaged without feeling unwell and sadly some people
will only find out that they have Hepatitis C once their liver is already damaged.
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus which means that it can spread through blood to blood contact.
This can be through injecting equipment or even backyard tattooing.
Anyone who has been in jail or had a blood transfusion before 1990 should also have a check-up for Hepatitis C.
This is a simple blood test you can have at any Health Service.
So my name's James Ward, I'm a Pitjantjajara/ Narungga fellow from Central and South Australia.
I head up a research program at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute.
Rates of Hepatitis C in Aboriginal communities are much higher than they are for non-Aboriginal population.
So for example we represent three percent of the total Australian population but around ten percent
of all the Hep C in Australia is among Aboriginal people
and really the rates have been increasing over the last five years while they've been decreasing
in the non-Aboriginal population and that's something we're very concerned about.
People who inject drugs really are the major risk population in Australia.
There's a high proportion of Aboriginal people that are sharing when they're injecting
and that's really an issue and so the other real risk factor I think for Aboriginal people
is the prison environment and so lots of people in prison have Hepatitis C.
It's a place where there's not usually clean equipment
and lots of transmission probably is occurring in the prison setting.
Then when people are released from the prison setting not knowing their status
go back out to community and unknowingly transmit Hepatitis C in the communities.
My name is Aunty Irene Allen and I'm a Tanganekald woman from the southeast South Australia.
My mother's from the Western Arrernte and my dad is Tanganekal from the southeast.
I think for some Aboriginal people it's fear and a lot of it is shame too.
To go in to get, you know, diagnosed with something if they're not well
they're afraid to find out what the results would be.
I think it's really important for people that have got Hep C to come in.
You know, especially with our mob to come in and get treated. It's quite easy now to be treated
and to keep our community and cultures strong.
I always think life's so precious and children, you've got children around you,
they want you to be healthy so that they can do stuff with you and you can teach them
and be a role model I think for the children.
Treatment for Hepatitis C is now better and easier. The first step is to have a blood test
to see what strain of the virus a person has.
This will help determine what medications to treat with. Clients will also have other tests like a FibroScan
to look at the amount of scarring on the liver.
This is a very quick, easy and pain-free test. People who go on treatment generally only take
one or two tablets per day for 8 to 24 weeks depending on what strain of Hepatitis C they have
and the amount of cirrhosis which is scarring on the liver.
The new treatments are interferon free which means no regular needles once a week
and there are very few side effects compared to the old treatments.
It's very important to take the medications every day and your local Aboriginal Health Service
can help support you with different ways to keep on track with your treatment.
The new treatments have a very high cure rate for being Hepatitis C free.
My name's Anne I'm a Kaurna/ Narungga woman from the Barossa & York Peninsula.
I had a few issues with drugs in the past
and was feeling a bit lethargic getting older and thought I'd have a blood test,
a general blood test to find out because I had had iron deficiency in the past
and it came positive for Hepatitis C.
The motivation for me to do the treatment was not only for myself as I am getting older
but also for my family and for me to be able to take care of my nieces and my nephews
and be a bit of a role model for them. Family was a big motivator.
I'd be saying, you know if I had a friend or a brother or an extended family member, a cousin,
you know if they're living with Hepatitis C it's a major breakthrough.
You need to go and see a doctor, go to the Aboriginal Health Service,
talk to them about Hep C, say you've been diagnosed with Hep C, you want to start treatment.
Get it done, your liver will repair, you'll be cured of the disease.
You know, two-three months you'll be feeling a whole lot better then you currently are today.
So go and get it done and take the time, look after yourself and you know it's for you, it's for your family.
You know if you've got kids and so forth, think about them, think about the longevity of your life.
If you have Hepatitis C or you're not sure if you have Hepatitis C,
just go to your local GP or Health Centre and get a test.
It is an easy test and the treatment is really easy now, like don't only do it for yourself,
do it for your family. It's made me a much healthier person
and it can extend your life and be there for your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren.
Be there for your family.