Tag Archives: hcv

Learning about viral hepatitis and Indigenous people

Since 2010, I’ve been part of an NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Aboriginal health – REACCH (Research Excellence in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health). The collaboration is jointly managed by the Kirby Institute at UNSW and the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO); there are four participating Aboriginal community-controlled health services:

Nunkuwarrin Yunti in South Australia
Aboriginal Medical Service Western Sydney
Victorian Aboriginal Health Service
Goondir Health Services in Queensland

Our research focuses on sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne viruses; each health service has developed projects that meet local priorities but we have also undertaken complex analyses of data from the services’ patient information management systems (for example this paper on hepatitis b).

This week I’m at the inaugural World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Viral Hepatitis in Alice Springs, with several REACCH colleagues. Viral hepatitis is a significant health burden for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (eg the rate of help c is increasing, in contrast to non-Indigenous people). Check out the twitter conversation via #IndigHVConf . Yesterday I presented on clients’ experiences of hep c treatment undertaken within a community setting – Nunkuwarrin Yunti.

Later in the week the World Indigenous Peoples’ conf makes way for the 9th Australian Viral Hepatitis Conference. I’m presenting on Friday on what made the community-based hep c treatment program acceptable to clients (hint: it was everything a hospital wasn’t). I’ll post the twitter hash tag here when things kick off.

At the intersection of marginalised identities – paper on LGBT injecting drug users with hepatitis c

A paper based on work we presented at the Social Research Conference on HIV, Hepatitis C and Related Diseases, Sydney, last year. Email me for a copy of find it here:

Deacon, R, Mooney-Somers, J, Treloar, C, & Maher, L. (2013) At the intersection of marginalised identities: Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people’s experiences of injecting drug use and hepatitis C seroconversion Health and Social Care in the Community. doi: 10.1111/hsc.12026. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract: While the levels of injecting drug use among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) populations are high we know little about their experiences of injecting drugs or living with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The loss of traditional family and cultural ties means connection to community is important to the wellbeing of LGBT populations. While some kinds of drug-use are normalised within many LGBT communities, injecting drug use continues to be stigmatised. This exploratory qualitative study of people with newly acquired HCV used semi-structured interviews to explore participants’ understandings and awareness of HCV, seroconversion, testing, diagnosis and treatment. We present a secondary thematic analysis of eight LGBT participants of the experience of injecting drugs, living with HCV and having a marginalised sexual or gender identity.

Community was central to the participants’ accounts. Drug-use facilitated connection to a chosen community by suppressing sexual or gender desires allows them to fit in to the mainstream; enacting LGBT community norms of behaviour; and connection through shared drug-use. Participants also described feeling afraid to come out about their drug-use to LGBT peers because of the associated stigma of HCV. They described a similar stigma associated with HIV within the PWID community. Thus the combination of being LBGT/living with HIV (a “gay” disease) and injecting drugs/living with HCV (a “junkie’s” disease) left them in a kind of no man’s land. Health professionals working in drug and HCV care services need to develop capacity in providing culturally appropriate health care for LGBT people who inject drugs.