Thanks to its strong partnership with the Sydney Local Health District (SLHD), the MHAHS is providing multilingual support to the flu campaign in the district. Aimed at increasing awareness of the flu vaccination in at-risk populations, the MHAHS in partnership with SLHD has made available Don’t spread Flu posters in Arabic, Bangla, Chinese, Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Spanish and Thai.

NSW Health’s Director of Communicable Diseases, Dr Vicky Sheppeard, said the flu vaccines are now available at most GPs, Aboriginal Medical Services, and for children, at most council and community health services that routinely provide childhood vaccination services.

“Vaccination is your best protection against the flu, so we encourage you and your loved ones to get vaccinated against this deadly infection this winter,” Dr Sheppeard said.

The flu shots will benefit a range of people, including those with medical conditions predisposed to flu, according to Barbara Luisi, manager of the MHAHS.

"Flu shots are available for free to members of the community who are pregnant, children up to five years of age and people over 65 years of age, most Aboriginal people and those with medical conditions such as HIV, asthma, diabetes and heart problems. Flu vaccination can help people living with HIV to avoid the potential harmful effects of seasonal flu. Don’t forget your flu jab this winter," Ms Luisi said.



Copies of the multilingual poster have also been sent out to all relevant ethnic media outlets by the MHAHS along with a shell media release from the NSW Health, for public education.

The flu campaign emphasize vaccination as the best protection against the flu and suggests the following as ways to also help prevent the spread of influenza:

• Cough and sneeze into your elbow
• Clean your hands
• ​Stay home when sick.

To download flu posters, please click on the relevant image in the PDF below:

The Arabic Community Hepatitis B Project, a joint 5-month project of the MHAHS and South West Sydney Local Health District, has successfully concluded last week. Aimed at increasing awareness of hepatitis B testing and treatment in Arabic-speaking communities, the project registered a wealth of community action and support.

More than seven interviews with key health and community leaders and more than 360 public service announcements about hepatitis B were broadcast by key community radio stations. Twelve community education sessions were conducted with eight community organisations in 11 locations across Sydney.

“The sessions were flexible and designed to suit the nature of community gathering. They focused on the importance of testing as being the only way to find out if you have hepatitis  B as well as  the benefits of treatment. 99% of participants reported they learnt something new about hepatitis B and 95% said they would share the information with family and friends,” said project officer Ms Faten Solaqa.

Ms Solaqa said one of the project’s initial challenges was introducing  the topic of hepatitis B to the community. She described the project as being valuable in terms of learning how local communities engaged with a potentially unfamiliar topic.

“Our vision was to create a community that is aware of hepatitis B and able to access  the services it needs from the local health system. Our motto was to give the Arabic-speaking community a voice, get them to talk about hepatitis B and ask their doctor for a test,” said Faten.

Working in partnership with health and community organisations is a key component of MHAHS’ work. The service has a long history of successfully implementing programs to engage with and build the capacity of culturally diverse communities.

Visit www.mhahs.org.au for more information about our community development initiatives or Like us on www.facebook.com/TheMHAHS .

The photo booth organised by the South Western Sydney Local Health District at Eid Show at Bankstown was a big hit!

The booth provided added fun for those visiting our hepatitis B information stall, according Faten Solaqa, project officer for the Arabic Community Hepatitis B Project.

“Not only did the booth give visitors to our stall visitors a fun photo experience, it meant they went home with a lasting memory of the big day plus a valuable health message about hepatitis B,” said Ms Solaqa.

Hundreds of hepatitis B resources were distributed at the event including Hepatitis B: It's a family business booklet produced by the MHAHS in English and Arabic.

Ms Solaqa revealed how she also hammed it up at the festival.

“I used a few props to take photos with my friends. One look at the photos and the event is as real as it was on the day. The photos are also social media friendly allowing me share them and spread the word about hepatitis B on email, facebook and instagram from my mobile,” said Ms Solaqa.

Please visit us at www.facebook.com/TheMHAHS.

The MHAHS in partnership with South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) is set to welcome Eid with a three- day health information stall at Annual Islamic Eid Show at Bankstown Showground from 15-17 June.

Eid Al-Fitr is the most important religious and cultural festival for the Muslim community and is held at the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

MHAHS Hepatitis B Project Officer, Faten Solaqa, who is co-organising the stall said Eid is one of the most vibrant festivals and is open to people of all cultural backgrounds.

"We're excited the festival provides us a platform to reach thousands of people with free health information. We are focused on highlighting the importance of people asking their doctor for a hepatitis B test and seeking timely treatment, if necessary,” said Ms Solaqa.

"We are also delighted to work with the team from South Western Sydney Local Health District to further our joint project to increase hepatitis B awareness among Arabic-speaking communities,” said Ms Solaqa.

Visitors to our stall can discuss hepatitis B with Arabic-speaking staff and get Hepatitis B: it’s a family business information booklet in either English and Arabic. They can also have their photo taken at the photo booth and get a free, personalised Eid and health message to share on their mobile devices.

More than 100 thousand people are expected to attend the festival in Sydney and Melbourne. In addition to numerous sumptuous food stalls, there will be vendors selling cultural artifacts, family and fun activities for kids, and much more.

WHAT: Annual Islamic Eid Show
WHERE: Bankstown Showgrounds,  178 Eldridge Rd, Condell Park NSW 2200
WHEN: 15-17 June, 2pm – 9pm on Friday & 10am – 9pm on Saturday & Sunday. Hepatitis B stall will operate between 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm on all three days.

For more details about the Eid Show visit www.eidshow.com.