Final report: Injecting performance and image-enhancing drugs
The SSAC team’s newly published report finds men who inject PIEDs have limited knowledge about hepatitis C transmission. Many nominate GPs as their preferred source of information about PIED use and related issues, and are keen to learn as much as they can to look after their health.
The report presents findings from interviews conducted with men who consume PIEDs and relevant health professionals. Aiming to generate new insights into the experiences of men who consume PIEDs, the project on which the report is based was designed to inform more appropriate and sensitive harm reduction initiatives, engagement strategies and hepatitis C prevention resources. Its aim was to develop a balanced understanding of men’s experiences and perspectives, placing issues of blood-borne virus (BBV) transmission in the context of whole lives and diverse priorities.
You can find a copy of the report here .
New CDC (USA) recommendations on hepatitis C screening
New Recommendations include hepatitis C screening at least once in a lifetime for all adults aged 18 years and older (except in settings where the prevalence of HCV infection is less than 0.1%), and hepatitis C screening for all pregnant women during each pregnancy. This report augments CDC recommendations for hepatitis C testing published in 1998 and 2012. Read more .
ARCSHS National Survey Of Australian Secondary Students And Sexual Health 1992-2018: Trends Over Time
Over the last 25 years, the National Survey of Australian Secondary Students and Sexual Health has provided a robust snapshot of young people’s sexual health knowledge and behaviours in Australia. The cross-sectional survey is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and has been conducted approximately every five years since 1992. Over the years, the survey has involved 15,756 students in Years 10 and 12, from the Government, Catholic and Independent school systems, and from every Australian state and territory. This report compares questions across all iterations of the survey. Comparisons highlight how Australian secondary students’ sexual health knowledge and practices have—and have not— changed over 25 years. Trend analyses indicate where progress in improving key determinants of sexual health and wellbeing among young people has been observed, as well as areas where significant changes have not been observed. Download here
INTERNATIONAL DRUG USERS DAY: UNITED NATIONS CALLS FOR AN END TO CRIMINALISATION
The Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League (AIVL) is calling on Australian governments to heed calls from the United Nations for an end to criminalisation on International Drug Users Day today. “Earlier this year, UNAIDS released Health, Rights and Drugs - Harm Reduction, Decriminalization and Zero Discrimination for People Who Use Drugs , calling on all countries to adopt a series of recommendations to implement a public health and human rights approach to drug use ,” explained Melanie Walker, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AIVL. Read the full media release
Post Conference Report: AVHEC 2019
The key findings report for Australasian Viral Hepatitis Elimination Conference 2019 is now available to download here . Speaker Presentations from AVHEC 2019, audio recordings, PDF versions of the keynote presentations and oral abstracts, are available on the conference website. Click through the online agenda sessions to view available recordings here . Poster PDFs are available on the conference website also. All the posters provided have been made available - see them here .
Australian Drug Trends 2019: Key Findings from the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) Interviews
The Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS) is an ongoing illicit drug monitoring system which has been conducted in all states and territories of Australia since 2000, and forms part of Drug Trends. In 2019, IDRS has provided a suite of products with the most up-to-date findings from interviews conducted annually from 2000-2019 with a cross-sectional sentinel group of people who regularly inject drugs recruited from all capital cities of Australia.
Guide to Australian HIV Laws and Policies for Healthcare Professionals
This updated resource aims to provide health care workers with information on legal and ethical responsibilities under various laws and regulations related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). content has been updated and two new sections have been added: Mandatory Testing for HIV and My Health Record. Significant jurisdictional updates throughout the website reflect changes in State and Territory laws since the last review in 2013. Download here
Hepatitis B Community Grants - Evaluation Report
This Evaluation Report provides important insights for decision makers and future hepatitis B community education efforts. The Hepatitis B Community Education Project has made significant progress towards its’ aims and objectives. However, as this was the first ever systematic community-based education response in Australia, it is ‘early days’ in terms of developing well-informed and more responsive affected populations. Significantly more community education work will be required to realise the goals of the Third National Hepatitis B Strategy 2018-2022.
People who use drugs would prefer to get hepatitis C treatment at a community pharmacy
The London Joint Working Group on Substance Use and Hepatitis C (LJWG) has published the results of ‘phase 2’ of its pharmacy testing pilot showing 38% of needle and syringe programme clients tested at participating pharmacies had chronic hepatitis C infection and 78% of those tested preferred to receive their treatment at their pharmacy if it was an option.
The report’s findings build on ‘phase 1’ of the pilot and follows NHS England’s announcement in July that they will invest £4 million over the next 2 years in rolling out hepatitis C testing in selected pharmacies across the country. Read more
Hepatitis NSW Liver Cirrhosis Toolkit For Hep B & C Patients
Cirrhosis can be scary, but this booklet is designed to help Liver Clinic staff support patients. The aim is to empower people with a better understanding of what is happening, so that they can make the best decisions for treatment and health. Read more
Presentations now available from Joint Australasian HIV and STI Conference 2019
Audio recordings and slides from the 2019 Joint Australasian HIV and STI Conference are now available. Explore the program to discover which plenaries and presentations are available. Also, the busy folks at SiREN have compiled a list of posters and presentations from the HIV conferences that relate to HIV and Mobility here (scroll down to ‘presentations from ASHM’ header)
Overdose and Response in Victoria -15 November
This seminar will provide a brief overview of unintentional overdose deaths in Victoria before discussing three responses: Victoria’s Real-Time Prescription Monitoring system, the Medically Supervised Injecting Room trial and the Naloxone Subsidy Initiative.
Speakers:
- Michael West – Assistant Director of Drug Policy and Reform at the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services
- Dr Malcolm Hogg – Head of Pain Services at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the former President of the Australian Pain Society
- Kasey Elmore – Operations Manager at the Medically Supervised Injecting Room in Richmond
- Kayla Caccaviello – a drug and alcohol counsellor with lived experience of drug use and overdose
When: Fri 15 November 2019, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm AEDT
Where: Library at The Dock Performance Space, 107 Victoria Harbour Promenade
Docklands, VIC 3008
Register: here
Intro to STIs – 26 November
This workshop provides introductory level information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This session will cover the most common STIs in Australia, signs and symptoms, transmission, management as well as some useful strategies for talking with clients about STIs. It will be a good session for anyone wanting to gain a basic understanding of STIs for their professional role.
When: 26 November 2019, 9:30am – 12:30pm
Where: Grosvenor Room, The Alfred Centre, 99 Commercial Rd, Melbourne 3004
More: here
The HIV Intersections Community of Practice presents
The 2019 HIV and Intersectionality Symposium – 27 November
Join us for the HIV and Intersectionality Symposium. We will take a critical look at the intersection points of HIV and people’s lives, with particular emphasis on people and communities that are affected by HIV but have not been at the centre of the Australian HIV response.
Themes will include
- Intersections of colonisation and racism
- Intersections of sexuality and gender
- intersectionality and criminalised populations
- Intersectionality and evidence
- Intersectionality, peers and meaningful engagement
This symposium will consist of a highly interactive mix of short presentations and facilitated discussions. Speakers and panellists include:
- Chiedza Malunga (Monash Health)
- Hope Mathumbu (Victorian African HIV Network)
- Peter Waples-Crowe (Thorne Harbour Health)
- Anthony Mc Carthy (Living Positive Victoria)
- Heather Mugwagwa (Positive Women Victoria)
- Dr. Jennifer Power (Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University)
- Jane Dicka (Harm Reduction Victoria)
- Min Fuh The (AFAO)
- Christian Vega ( Multicultural Health and Support Service)
- Masha Mikola (Ethnic Communities Council of Victoria)
- Vixen Collective
- And many more to come!!
An optional ‘introduction to HIV’ will be held from 8.30 – 10am. This session, delivered by the HIV Outward (The Alfred) team, will suit people who are new to HIV as well as those seeking quick refresher.
When – Wednesday 27 November, 10.00am – 4.00pm (or 8.30am start for the introductory HIV session)
Where – Level 3, 360 Collins St Melbourne (Teaching room 6)
Cost – free
Registration here , and for more information email j.johnson@latrobe.edu.au
Harm Reduction Victoria AGM – 27 November
Multicultural Hub, 506 Elizabeth St Melbourne from 4 to 6pm, all details here
One Day Course - HIV & Viral Hepatitis: Discussion & Testing – 5 December
This Family Planning Victoria short course is for for professionals interested in increasing their knowledge, and decreasing stigma, regarding HIV and viral hepatitis.
Individuals from a range of settings may enrol. This includes, but is not limited to, nursing, adolescent health, Aboriginal health, the justice system, peer work, community health, general practice, infection control and midwifery. Details here
Advancing the Evidence: Migrant Women's Sexual and Reproductive Health Conference – 27 and 28 February 2020
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN UNTIL NOVEMBER 10
Multicultural Centre for Women's Health invites researchers, general, clinical and community practitioners, policy makers and advocates to attend a two-day national conference on migrant and refugee women's health and wellbeing.
This conference will focus on the sexual and reproductive health and rights of all women living in Australia from migrant and refugee backgrounds, including:
- health equity issues in policy and service delivery
- national and international health policy,
- findings that build the current evidence base for migrant women's health migrant,
- broader social and systemic factors impacting migrant and refugee women’s health,
- connections between migrant and refugee women’s sexual and reproductive health and violence against women, mental health and work-related health.
All details here
Richmond's safe-injecting room: Controversy overshadows positive community impact
The only sexual health clinic in Victoria that's free for all is so busy, people are being turned away
The World’s First Known Person Who Naturally Beat HIV Goes Public
Guards say they want supervised injection sites in federal prisons
While rates of new HIV cases are falling in Australia, there's been a sharp increase in diagnoses among Asian-born gay men.
Koala retrovirus leads scientists to discover 'second immune system'
Call for expressions of interest – Perinatal Hepatitis B Project Advisory Group
The WHO Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis at the Doherty Institute is seeking community members to join an Advisory Group to help shape the development of a research project investigating how services are currently provided to mothers with hepatitis B in Victoria. More here .
To request a full text copy of an article, please email Janine at the ERC Library
Integrating HIV and Hepatitis C Screening in a High-Risk Emergency Department Population
HCV and HBV prevalence based on home blood self-sampling and screening history in the general population in 2016: contribution to the new French screening strategy
Securing sustainable funding for viral hepatitis elimination plans
Hepatitis C vaccine fails to prevent chronic infection
Measure of adherence to direct-acting antivirals as a predictor of the effectiveness of hepatitis C treatment.
Hepatitis C infection in men who have sex with men
Healthcare Providers' Views on HCV Testing and Counseling Among Sexual Partners of Hepatitis C-Infected Persons
Point-of-care hepatitis C testing from needle and syringe programs: An Australian feasibility study
Disparities in Hepatitis C Linkage to Care in the DAA Era: Findings from a Referral Clinic with an Embedded Nurse Navigator Model
Hepatitis C prevention: ‘treat-all’ strategy is important but targeting people who inject drugs has the greatest benefit
Evaluating the population impact of hepatitis C direct acting antiviral treatment as prevention for people who inject drugs (EPIToPe) – a natural experiment (protocol) v
Should Primary Care Practitioners Follow Hepatitis C Exposed Infants?
Bringing Hepatitis C into FOCUS: Evaluating the Efficiency of a Linkage to Care Program in Improving the Hepatitis C Care Cascade
Treatment of Hepatitis C After Identification of Infection During Universal Screening Approach in Pregnant Women
Knowledge, attitudes and practices related to hepatitis C among gay and bisexual men in the era of direct-acting antivirals: implications for treatment and prevention
Two decades of surveillance data show late presentation among a diverse group of women diagnosed with HIV in Victoria, Australia
Rapid treatment start doesn't benefit all
Variations in Testing for HIV and Other Sexually Transmitted Infections Across Gender Identity Among Transgender Youth
Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Among Transgender and Gender Nonconforming People Living with HIV: Findings from the 2015 U.S. Trans Survey
Increasing HIV testing engagement through provision of home HIV self-testing kits for patients who decline testing in the emergency department: a pilot randomisation study
Retention in HIV Care in Australia: The Perspectives of Clinicians and Clients, and the Impact of Medical and Psychosocial Comorbidity
The association of provider and practice factors with HIV antiretroviral therapy adherence
Two thirds prefer self-testing over self-sampling
“They’re just making me feel worse”: beliefs about HIV treatment among African and Caribbean people living in the UK
For PrEP 2-1-1 Dosing, the Information Is Often Bottom Up
Switching to TAF-based PrEP improves kidney and bone markers – but does it raise cardiovascular risk?
The HIV-Related Risk Factors of the Cisgender Male Sexual Partners of Transgender Women (MSTW) in the United States: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Who is seeking antiretroviral treatment for HIV now? Characteristics of patients presenting in Kenya and South Africa in 2017‐2018
Uptake and effectiveness of two-drug compared with three-drug antiretroviral regimens among HIV-positive individuals in Europe
Long-term safety and vaccine-induced seropositivity in healthy volunteers from HIV vaccine trials
Incidence of sexually transmitted infections during pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV: a worrying outcome at 2 years!
Point-of-care viral load testing results in more switches from failing treatment
Modeling Progress Toward Elimination of Hepatitis B in Australia
Hep B Moms: A cross‐sectional study of mother‐to‐child transmission risk among pregnant Asian American women with chronic hepatitis B in New York City, 2007‐2017
Nucleos(t)ide Analog Therapy of Chronic Hepatitis B and Liver Cancer Risk Reduction: Better Nucleotides than Nucleosides?
Crystal methamphetamine use, routes of administration and use of commercial ball pipes among people who inject drugs in Australia
Strategies to improve control of sexually transmissible infections in remote Australian Aboriginal communities: a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial
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