Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are viruses that cause damage to your liver. They can be chronic, which means you could have them your whole life. Without treatment, they can lead to liver disease or liver cancer.
To see the latest statistics about hepatitis B and hepatitis C in Australia and why Australia can’t wait to eliminate hepatitis you can download the World Hepatitis Day Factsheet using the button below.
Hepatitis B
In Australia, approximately 220,000 people are living with lifelong Hepatitis B and many are unaware they have the virus.
There is a safe and effective vaccine to protect you against getting hep B.
You can get treatment to manage chronic hepatitis B but not cure it.
Hepatitis C
In Australia, more than 115,000 people are still living with chronic hepatitis C at the end of 2020 and many are unaware they have the virus or have not been fully diagnosed.
There is no vaccine to protect against hepatitis C, but there is an effective cure. The medicines known as direct-acting antivirals (or DAAs) are easy to take with as little as one tablet a day, no injections and most people experience few to no side effects.
Most people can get a prescription from their GP. They are low cost for people who have a Medicare Card.