HEP C COMMUNITY NEWS Autumn 2001
Issue 16
Facts and fears in SA The SA Hepatitis C Awareness Week 2001 was held in the first week of March with a full program of events organised to spread the facts…not fear about hepatitis C amongst various groups in our SA community.
Day 1 The week of events was launched by the SA Health Minister, the Hon Dean Brown to a group of 60 people at The Lion Hotel in North Adelaide. Interstate guest speakers at the launch included Dr Greg Dore from the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research and Jeff Ward President of the Australian Hepatitis Council presenting the medical and community perspectives on the facts and fears of hepatitis C. Deborah Warneke then gave her individual perspective on the theme. Deborah’s clear, self assured ‘voice’ told a story very familiar to many who have had to struggle with the facts and fears of hepatitis C. The humour and warmth of Deborah’s anecdotes effectively dispelled any ‘virus victim’ notions her audience may have had as she recounted her diagnosis experiences, how she dealt with the fear of disclosing to friends and how she has learned to live positively with hepatitis C. The simple statement of her expectation of a non-judgemental response from her audience at the Launch reminded us that this expectation is an important first step in dealing with the fear of discrimination from others. Continued on pages 10 & 11
Hepatitis C Community News
Issue 16
1