Australia remains on track to eliminate hepatitis C by the year 2030 according to Polaris Observatory data showcased at the World Hepatitis Summit in Brazil on Wednesday.

However, the CEO of Hepatitis Australia said the nation could not rest on its oars.

Compared to other countries amongst the three quarters of those with the infection, Australia has a very high diagnosis rate of hepatitis C meaning that Australia could be rid of the disease in just over a decade.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Helen Tyrell, CEO of Hepatitis Australia, said that Australia had “set off at a cracking pace’’ toward eliminating the infection for good, due to the nation’s “unrestricted and easy access to treatment,’’.

However, unless efforts continue to be scaled up, the 2030 target might soon become unattainable.

Tyrell said that, Australia would need  “rapid scale-up’’ of programmes and advertising to help connect all people with hepatitis C to the new cure “while also continuing to prioritise evidence-based prevention.’’

But while the outlook for Australia eliminating cases of hepatitis C is encouraging, the same can’t be said for hepatitis B;

Tyrell said Australia must “accelerate’’ efforts across the board to help eliminate it.

NAN