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Date Posted: Mon, August 18 2003, 11:52:02 PDT
A survey recently commissioned by the American Gastroenterological Association suggests that Americans have little understanding of the causes and potential dangers of hepatitis C. The survey, part of the Be Hep C S.M.A.R.T. (Shattering Myths and Reinforcing Truths) campaign, found that only about 50 percent of the general public believes that hepatitis C is a serious health threat. However, doctors and hepatitis C sufferers who were surveyed believe that the disease is as serious a threat as HIV.
Many Americans apparently do not understand that hepatitis C is spread through “blood-to-blood contact.” Thirty-two percent think that the disease can be contracted through fecal-contaminated food or water, and 42 percent do not realize that the disease can be spread by “any contact with infected blood.” Also, many people, including some sufferers of the disease, believe that there is a vaccine available for hepatitis C. Unfortunately, there is not.
One of the most interesting findings of this survey is that most Americans do not feel that hepatitis C is associated with drug use and unhealthy lifestyles. Seventy-four percent of hepatitis C sufferers believe that most people feel this way, but only 30 percent of those surveyed do. Only 12 percent believe that hepatitis C is something that cannot happen to people like themselves.
www.hcop.org
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