Treatment gap emerges for life-saving care

Health experts are concerned too many Victorians living with hepatitis B are missing out on lifesaving care and treatment, with data revealing less than one third of people living with hepatitis B are receiving life-saving follow-up care.

The data from The Doherty Institute’s Viral Hepatitis Mapping Project National Report estimates of the 58,268 Victorians estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B, only 28.7 per cent are receiving care, which includes check-ups and treatment, to help prevent serious complications including liver cancer.

The report also found treatment uptake in western Victoria and elsewhere in regional Victoria is below the state average.

Cancer Council Victoria early detection manager Charissa Feng said low awareness of the need for follow-up care and barriers associated with seeing a doctor one to two times a year were contributing to the treatment gap.

“Hepatitis B often doesn’t have any symptoms, which means thousands of Victorians are unknowingly living with the virus. We also know for those who have been diagnosed, many aren’t attending regular check-ups or are unable to find a local doctor to manage their treatment plan.”

Hepatitis B is a virus that can affect the liver, and if left undetected and untreated can cause liver cancer.

Ms Feng emphasised that while there was no cure for hepatitis B, regular care and treatment could prevent liver damage and lower the risk of cancer.

“If you have been diagnosed with hepatitis B, it is important to see your doctor regularly to monitor the virus and if needed, take medication to prevent liver cancer,” she said.

The state government’s Victorian Cancer Plan 2024-28, launched last month, included eliminating hepatitis B and C as a public health concern in Victoria with the goal to increase the proportion of people receiving care for hepatitis B to 90 per cent by 2030.

Ms. Feng welcomed the plan’s focus on improving rates of testing and treatment and said she hoped it leads to more immediate action to ensure all Victorians with hepatitis B get the care they need to reduce preventable liver cancers.

In Victoria, there are only 116 general practitioners and nurse practitioners who are accredited and approved to prescribe the hepatitis B medication.

To support greater access to treatment, Cancer Council Victoria with funding from the Victorian Department of Health is offering 20 scholarships for Victorian general practitioners and nurse practitioners to complete training to become an accredited prescriber of hepatitis B treatment.

Professor Benjamin Cowie, director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre for Viral Hepatitis at the Doherty Institute, is a presenter for the hepatitis B prescriber course run by the Victorian HIV and Hepatitis Integrated Training and Learning Program.

He said ensuring more health professionals are prepared and able to prescribe this life-saving medication was critical to addressing hepatitis B in Victoria.

“All Victorians should be able to access the healthcare they need to stay healthy. By supporting more health professionals to prescribe hepatitis B medication, we can help people who need treatment to access it.”

To find out more about the link between hepatitis B and liver cancer, head to cancervic.org.au/cancer-information/screening/hep-b-liver-cancer