World Hepatitis Day Initiatives
The World Hepatitis Alliance supports campaigners and patient organisations around the world to help make a difference to the lives of the millions of people living with viral hepatitis and to prevent new infections. To find out more on what is going on in your country, use the map below to find local organisations, World Hepatitis Day initiatives and other initiatives.
You can also look at our ‘Wall of Stories’ and submit your own personal experience of living with hepatitis or find other community resources including an Online Scrapbook and our latest Newsletters. The This is hepatitis... blog features bloggers from around the world talking about their experiences with hepatitis.
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Country: Australia
City: Sydney
Type: WHD
Australia - WHD 2011
World Hepatitis Day (WHD) in Australia was coordinated nationally by Hepatitis Australia and supported by their member organisations and a wide range of partner organisations as well as services. ‘Love Your Liver’ was the theme chosen to raise awareness of hepatitis within the context of liver health and a new ‘Love Your Liver’ website went live prior to WHD as part of a social media campaign that also included Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, Hepatitis Australia developed a mascot ‘O’Liver’ as part of an engagement strategy for community events with its ‘adventures’ being recorded across the country.
The national launch of WHD took place on the lawn of Parliament House Canberra; a month later the official launch of the ‘Love Your Liver’ campaign was held in Sydney. Hepatitis Australia also hosted a National ‘Love Your Liver’ webinar which featured Dr Joanna McMillan, official nutritionist of the Today Show. Dr McMillan discussed the functions of the liver in broad terms and offered simple steps for better liver health. Once again, ‘Pharmacy Guild’ supported the campaign by distributing posters to every community pharmacy in Australia. Further posters and a range of other materials including balloons, lapel pins, temporary tattoos and T-shirts were distributed to organisations and individuals holding events as well as hospitals, clinics, shopping malls, libraries, universities and community centres. Hundreds of local community events ran across Australia for WHD and several states had their own official launch.
As part of this year’s events, ‘Love Your Liver’ lunches were held, incorporating quizzes and games, music as well as dance events and ‘street shot’ exhibitions ran in four states featuring photographs taken by young people of their interpretations of viral hepatitis harm reduction and prevention. ‘Think before you ink’ and ‘plan before you pierce’ awareness raising events were also conducted, focusing on the dangers of unsterile tattooing and piercing. A 12-week youth theatre program to engage young people was held as well as art therapy workshops, mural painting and children’s colouring competitions. Smartphone and video animations were developed to raise awareness of hepatitis during the week and sports events proved a successful tactic for reaching younger people with hepatitis messages. In addition to the online media, many of the community events were reported in local print media.
