Goal:

Hep B PAST – Partnership Approach to Sustainably eliminating Chronic Hepatitis B in the Northern Territory (NT) - is working towards the elimination of chronic Hepatitis B (CHB) from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in the Northern Territory.

Aims: 
  1. Improve health literacy about HBV amongst  Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people living with HBV and primary healthcare providers
  2. Improve the cascade of care for individuals living with CHB in the NT
Objectives: 

We will enable people living with CHB and their communities to have access to culturally appropriate effective education tools in their first language. We will evaluate and translate the existing “Hep B Story” educational app into a further 10 languages which will cover >70% of the NT Indigenous population.

CHB care will be transitioned into the primary care setting in the remote NT context using the chronic disease model.  Central coordination through an NT HBV clinical register and an allocated core clinical care team will improve the cascade of care for CHB.

Summary: 

We have the necessary tools in place to achieve elimination of CHB: an effective vaccine, effective antivirals, and long-term relationships between project partners and Indigenous communities.  Our aim is that with significant investment over the next 5 years we can substantially improve community health literacy, determine sero-status of >80% of Indigenous individuals, and by shifting CHB to a chronic disease care model have >80% of individuals with CHB engaged in guideline-based management with 15% receiving and remaining on treatment.

Chief Investigator:
Project manager:
Contact information:
Project dates:

The project commenced in 2018 and was completed in December 2023. 

 

 

Funder:
  • National Health and Medical Research Council
Collaborators:
  • Northern Territory Government
  • Miwatj Health Aboriginal Corporation
  • Katherine West Health Board
  • Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM)
  • NT AIDS and Hepatitis Council (NTAHC)
  1. Hosking K, Binks P, De Santis T, Wilson P, et al. Evaluating a novel model of hepatitis B care, Hep B PAST, in the Northern Territory of Australia: results from a prospective, population-based study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, Volume 48,2024,101116, ISSN 2666-6065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanwpc.2024.101116
  2. Binks, P., Venkatesan, S., Everitt, A., Garambaka Gurruwiwi, G., Dhurrkay, Bukulatjpi, S.M., R., Ross, C., Alley, T., Hosking, K.,Vintour-Cesar, E., McKinnon, M., Sullivan, R., Davis J.S., Hefler, M., Davies J. (2024). “An evaluation and refinement of the ‘Hep B Story’ app, tailored to meet the community’s cultural needs”. BMC Health Service Research 24: 710. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11149-y
  3. Binks, P., Ross, C., Garambaka Gurruwiwi, G., Wurrawilya, S., Alley, T., Bukulatjpi, S.M., Vintour-Cesar, E., Hosking, K., Davis J.S., Hefler, M., Davies J. (2024). “Adapting and translating the ‘Hep B Story’ App the right way: A transferable toolkit to develop health resources with, and for, Aboriginal people. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 11 (1). http://doi.org/10.1002/hpja.858
  4. Hosking, K., De Santis, T., Vintour-Cesar, E., Wilson, PM., Bunn, L., Garambaka Gurruwiwi, G., Wurrawilya, S., Bukulatjpi Mariyalawuy, S., Nelson, S., Ross, C., Stuart-Carter, K-A., Ngurruwuthun, T., Dhagapan, A. (2024). Putting the power back into community: A mixed methods evaluation of a chronic hepatitis B training course for the Aboriginal health workforce of Australia’s Northern Territory. PLoS ONE 19(1): e0288577 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0288577
  5. Hosking, K., De Santis, T., Vintour-Cesar, E., Wilson, P. M., Bunn, L., Gurruwiwi, G. G., Wurrawilya, S., Bukulatjpi, S. M., Nelson, S., Ross, C., Binks, P., Schroder, P., Davis, J. S., Taylor, S., Connors, C., & Davies, J. (2023). “The most culturally safe training I’ve ever had.” The co-design of a culturally safe Managing hepatitis B training course with and for the Aboriginal health workforce of the Northern Territory of Australia. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2830413/v1
  6. Hanson, J., Radlof, S., Littlejohn, M., Hempenstall, A., Edwards, R., Nakata, Y., Gregson, S., Hayes, R., Smith, S., McKinnon, M., Binks, P., Tong, S. Y. C., Davies, J., & Davis, J. S. (2023). Hepatitis B genotypes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: correlation with clinical course and implications for management. Internal Medicine Journal, 10.1111/imj.16181. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/imj.16181
  7. Sullivan, R.P., Davies, J., Binks, P, McKinnon, M., Dhurrkay RG., Hosking, K., Bukulatjpi SM., Locarnini, S., Littlejohn, M., Jackson, K., Tong SYV., Davis, JS. Preventing early childhood transmission of hepatitis B in remote Aboriginal communities in northern Australia. Int J Equity Health 21, 186 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-01808-z
  8. Sullivan, R.P., Baird, R., Freeman, K. Heggie H., Davis JS., Marshall CS., Davies J. Viral hepatitis in correctional facilities in the Northern Territory of Australia 2003–2017. BMC Infect Dis. 21, 584 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-021-06286-2
  9. Hosking, K., Stewart, G., Mobsby, M., Skov, S., Zhao, Y., Su, J-Y. et al. (2020). Data linkage and computerised algorithmic coding to enhance individual clinical care for Aboriginal people living with chronic hepatitis B in the Northern Territory of Australia – Is it feasible? PLoS ONE 15(4): e0232207.
  10. Hla, T., Bukulatjpi, S., Binks, P., Gurruwiwi, G., Dhurrkay, R. & Davies, J. (2020). A “one stop liver shop” approach improves the cascade-of-care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians living with chronic hepatitis B in the Northern Territory of Australia: results of a novel care delivery model. International Journal Equity in Health 19:64.
  11. Qama, A., Allard, N., Cowie, B., Davis, J. & Davies, J. (2020). Hepatitis B in the Northern Territory: chi into the changing epidemiology of an ancient condition. Internal Medicine Journal, 51:910-922.
  12. Sullivan, R., Davies, J., Binks, P., Dhurrkay, R., Gurruwiwi, G., Bukulatjpi, S., McKinnon, M., Hosking, K., Littlejohn, M., Jackson, K., Locarnini, S., Davis, J. & Tong, S. (2019). Point of care and oral fluid hepatitis B testing in remote Indigenous communities of Northern Australia. Journal of Viral Hepatitis 27:407-414.
  13. Yuen, L. K. W., Littlejohn, M., Duchêne, S., Edwards, R., Bukulatjpi, S., Binks, P., Jackson, K., Davies, J., Davis, J. S., Tong, S. Y. C., & Locarnini, S. (2019). Tracing Ancient Human Migrations into Sahul Using Hepatitis B Virus Genomes. Molecular biology and evolution, 36(5), 942–954. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msz021
  14. Cheah BC, Davies J, Singh GR, Wood N, Jackson K, Littlejohn M, Davison B, McIntyre P, Locarnini S, Davis JS, Tong SYC. Sub-optimal protection against past hepatitis B virus infection where subtype mismatch exists between vaccine and circulating viral genotype in northern Australia. Vaccine 36 (2018) 3533-3540
  15. Littlejohn, M., Davies, J., Yuen, L., Tong, S., Davis, J.S., & Locarnini, S. (2014). Molecular virology of Hepatitis B virus, subgenotype C4 in Northern Australian Indigenous populations. Journal of Medical Virology, 86(4), 695-706.
  1. Innovative Models of Care (IMOC) Program – Hep B PAST PLUS

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  2. Australia falling behind on hepatitis B elimination targets

    Australia falling behind on hepatitis B elimination targets

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  3. HEP VOICE Magazine - October - December 2023

    HEP VOICE Magazine - October - December 2023

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    Kelly Hosking of Menzies School of Health Research shares an insight about the Hep B PAST Program with the World Hepatitis Alliance online magazine.

  4. MEDIA RELEASE | Hep B program highlights expertise as CDU Menzies School of Medicine seeks more student placements in the NT

    MEDIA RELEASE | Hep B program highlights expertise as CDU Menzies School of Medicine seeks more student placements in the NT

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    The CDU Menzies School of Medicine continues its momentum to advocate for the Australian Government to allocate 40 new placements for medical students in the Northern Territory.

  5. App to provide health support for Kriol speakers

    App to provide health support for Kriol speakers

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    The Hep B PAST App is now available in Kriol, read more in this news story.

  6. MEDIA RELEASE | Crucial tool to assist in the elimination of Chronic Hepatitis B launched

    MEDIA RELEASE | Crucial tool to assist in the elimination of Chronic Hepatitis B launched

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    An educational app designed to improve health literacy around the hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been translated to provide more than 70 per cent of the Northern Territory (NT) Aboriginal population access in their first language.

  7. Five medical research projects recognised in the Northern Territory

    Five medical research projects recognised in the Northern Territory

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    Five researchers based at Menzies have received recognition in the form of Investigator Grants from the NHMRC and the MRFF.

  8. Innovative data use an important step in eliminating hep B

    Innovative data use an important step in eliminating hep B

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    A team of researchers in the Northern Territory (NT) have designed and tested a new algorithm to determine hepatitis B status.

  9. Hepatitis B virus sheds light on ancient human population movements into Australia

    Hepatitis B virus sheds light on ancient human population movements into Australia

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    Australian researchers have used current hepatitis B virus (HBV) genome sequences to deduce ancient human population movements into Australia, adding weight to the theory that the mainland Aboriginal population separated from other early humans at least 59 thousand years ago and possibly entered the country near the Tiwi Islands.

  10. Chronic hepatitis B elimination partnership launched

    Chronic hepatitis B elimination partnership launched

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    A collaboration working to eliminate chronic hepatitis B (CHB) from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the Northern Territory (NT) is being launched by NT Health Minister the Hon Natasha Fyles.

  11. Making hepatitis B information more widely available to Indigenous communities

    Making hepatitis B information more widely available to Indigenous communities

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    Menzies is doing its part to ensure more Indigenous Territorians have access to potentially life-saving information about hepatitis B this World Hepatitis Day.

  12. Katherine Times | Making hepatitis B information more widely available to Indigenous communities

    Katherine Times | Making hepatitis B information more widely available to Indigenous communities

    Date

    Katherine Times | Making hepatitis B information more widely available to Indigenous communities

  13. Chronic hepatitis B to be eliminated from the Northern Territory

    Chronic hepatitis B to be eliminated from the Northern Territory

    Date

    An important collaboration which will work to eliminate chronic hepatitis B (CHB) from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population in the Northern Territory (NT) has been established.

The Hep B Story app is a visual, interactive app designed for patients living with chronic hepatitis B (hep B) and their families. It tells the story of the hep B virus, how you get it, what happens over time, how you know you have it as well as details about immunisation and treatment. It also features a separate women’s business section discussing mother to child transmission and ways to prevent it.

On 25 November 2021, we launched the updated version of the Hep B Story app. Created and translated by community members and health workers across the NT, it is now available in English, Yolŋu matha, Kunwinjku, Tiwi, Arrernte, Warlpiri, Pitjantjatjara, Burarra and Anindilyakwa. In 2022, the app will also be released in Murrinh-patha and Gurindji.

Watch the online launch here: