Kim enjoys sharing hepatitis B information with local Vietnamese community as much as the community finds them useful.
“I really enjoy helping my community with hepatitis B information and look after their wellbeing,” Kim Trang Ha, the community development officer of Sydney Local Health District’s Diversity Hub said.
Even though the project was disrupted by COVID-19, since starting in August 2020, the Vietnamese community hepatitis B project delivered more than 12 education sessions and reached over 200 community members.
A large proportion of Australians living with chronic hepatitis B are unaware that they are infected, and many of them were born in countries such as Vietnam where hepatitis B is very common. If left untreated, chronic hepatitis B can lead to liver damage, cancer and even death.
The Vietnamese community workshops aims to raise awareness of hepatitis B and encourage them to get testing and treatment. It is also aimed at increasing community access to hepatitis B services and decreasing stigmas towards people with chronic hepatitis B.
'Most of the participants were in their 50s or higher, and currently we have more male participants than previous projects,' said Kim.
'Many of our participants don’t know if they have hepatitis B. In many cases, people weren’t aware until it’s too late to find out.'
'Feedbacks suggest community members found our sessions very informative, interesting, and enjoyable. Many of them said that they were going to get hepatitis B blood test soon after attending the session to find out if they have the virus.'
'I am so pleased that they decided to take the next step and look after themselves with a simple blood test to find out their hepatitis B status,' said Kim.
For more information on the Vietnamese Hepatitis B Project, contact Wa-el Sabri, Senior Community Engagement Officer on 9515 1234 or email
02 9515 1234
Level 1, 300 Bridge Road,