How you can participate

• Raise awareness and/or funds for Kidney Health Australia. Call Katie at 03 9674 4310 for more information.
• Share your personal story with kidney disease with local media. Media template here.
• Raise awareness with Kidney Health Australia on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. (See below ‘Social Networking during Kidney Health Week’ for more).
• Tell us what you’re doing to mark Kidney Health Week! Email Katie at katie.nicholson@kidney.org.au with all details.

About the Campaign

The chosen tagline for this year’s Kidney Health Week represents the serious risk chronic kidney disease (CKD) has on the health of Australians.

While there has been significant progress over the past 15 years, kidney-related disease kills more people a year than breast cancer, prostate cancer or even road traffic accidents.

Sadly, the incidence is still rising with an estimated 1.7 million Australians over the age of 25 having at least one clinical sign of existing CKD.

A recent report highlights that in the last two decades, the number of Australians receiving renal replacement therapy (transplantation or dialysis) has tripled, and more awareness needs to be raised to address this growing, and costly, public health epidemic.

Kidney disease is a silent killer that can make someone’s kidney function deteriorate to 10 per cent without feeling sick, at which time dialysis or transplantation is required to stay alive.

1 in 3 Australians over the age of 25 is at increased risk of developing CKD and so Kidney Health Week is a key time to educate the general public on the risk factors.

Refer to our webpage: Fast Facts on CKD - for the latest statistics.

Media opportunities

Kidney Health Australia has a range of speakers available to contribute to media requests. Please contact Ali Hickerson, Communications Coordinator via email alison.hickerson@kidney.org.au or call 03 9674 4313.

Stay in touch with your Kidney Community

Our Kidney Community News is a monthly newsletter developed by Kidney Health Australia to provide information to patients, carers, health professionals, supporters, students and others who are affected by kidney disease or have a particular interest in kidney health.

To subscribe to receive Kidney Community News: contact subscribe@kidney.org.au and provide your name, postal address, and your email address if you wish to receive your copy electronically.

QKidney® Risk Assessment - for Health Professionals

During Kidney Health Week, many health professionals conduct assessments with members of the public, to help assess their risk of developing kidney disease. The QKidney® Risk Calculator can be a helpful tool to assist with these assessments.

The calculator can be accessed for free from www.qkidney.org or can be purchased (.99 AUD) as an iPhone or iPad app from the iTunes store.

Find out more at this link QKidney® Risk Calculator, including helpful documents>

Social networking during Kidney Health Week

• 1 in 3 Australians is at increased risk of kidney disease. Undetected, untreated kidney disease is a silent killer.
• Chronic kidney disease has no warning signs.
• Improved early detection of chronic kidney disease can extend the life of your kidneys, keeping you healthy for as long as possible. Without an improvement in early detection, many cases of kidney disease will continue to be diagnosed too late – when dialysis and transplantation are required for survival.
• Currently in Australia nearly 11,000 people are on dialysis. Over 1,000 are waiting for a kidney transplant and over 54 die of kidney-related disease every day.

Australians in high risk categories over the age of 25 are urged to undertake a risk assessment for free on www.checkmykidneys.com.au