The HR23 pre-conference on viral hepatitis and harm reduction on 15 April 2023 kicked off a robust hepatitis programme at the Harm Reduction International Conference (16-19 April 2023), including workshops, site visits, dialogue and abstract-driven presentations on hepatitis testing and treatment, co-infection, the funding landscape, integrated services and new global guidance.

Hepatitis B and C are preventable and treatable, with cost effective services that can be delivered easily within primary healthcare and at harm reduction sites. Almost 4 in 10 people who inject drugs have active hepatitis C, and 1 in 12 have active hepatitis B, according to a global systematic review.

In the context of shifts in the global health landscape, to support the harm reduction sector to seize new opportunities, and to advance progress towards 2030 targets for viral hepatitis elimination, the HR23 pre-conference convened over 100 health and harm reduction experts and covered:

• global data and guidelines;
• lessons and tools from Australia and around the world (in the community and in closed settings);
• tools and strategic support on integrating viral hepatitis into Global Fund and PEPFAR grants;
• the work under the Unitaid portfolio.

• Harm Reduction International
• Burnet Institute
• The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity
• Harm Reduction Victoria
• International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users
• International Network of People who Use Drugs
• World Health Organisation
• Unitaid
• Medecins du Monde
• Kirby Institute
• Australian Institute for Infectious Diseases
• The Hepatitis Fund

Photos from the event: https://harmreduction.smugmug.com/HR23/HR23-Nigel-Brunsdon/

The Harm Reduction International Conference, convened by Harm Reduction International in a different city every two years, attracts over 1,000 international delegates for learning and exchange at the intersection of health, rights and harm reduction.

Over four days of presentations, workshops, films, networking events and more, the conference will continue its history of providing a dynamic forum to share the latest research and discussions on best practice in drug use, harm reduction and human rights, bringing together over 1,000 people from around the world working at the heart of harm reduction and drug policy.

Returning to Australia for the first time in 19 years, the 2023 Harm Reduction International Conference, HR23, will be a unique opportunity showcase Melbourne’s incredible harm reduction programmes and the people who have made them possible, and also to push for further progress not just for the country, but for the region as a whole.

https://hr23.hri.global/