Peter Clark chaired the meeting and has written the follow synopsis: "At the first meeting of the new Rotary year, Professor Margaret Hellard from the Burnet Institute introduced the Club to Hepatitis, a disease caused by viruses, of which the two most serious types are Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. Both are controllable nowadays and the World Health Organization has set a goal of eliminating them by 2030.
Hepatitis B is controlled by immunization and all children born in Australia receive the vaccination at birth. Margaret observed that it would be very desirable if the vaccine was available to children in the Pacific Islands Immunization Project. Drugs are now available to cure Hepatitis C and so there is a real prospect of reducing the disease burden Globally and here in Australia, where Liver disease costs more than Heart or Kidney disease.
Margaret introduced Frank Carlus, the President of Hepatitis Victoria. Frank described his experience of living with Hepatitis C as a migrant from Spain. His mother and sister also suffered the disease and his sister died from it. Frank suffered many years of liver failure before he had a liver transplant which saved his life – but he still carried the Hepatitis C virus, which was damaging his new liver. The availability of new treatment using Direct Acting Antiviral drugs , has stopped the disease and he is now able to live a fairly normal life. Members could have heard a pin drop in the room as Frank told his story." Thanks Peter!
The current challenge is to raise community awareness of the treatments now available for Hepatitis B and C , as Margaret put it, “to start the conversation” - and maintain it.
The Club has started the Rotary conversation. At its next meeting, the Board will consider a project to promote Hepatitis Awareness to over 30 Clubs in this Rotary year in Victoria, by arranging presentations similar to those we received last Wednesday from Margaret and Frank. If we can do this effectively, we aim to spread the model to other Clubs in Australia and overseas."
