Misconceptions Regarding Hepatitis C in the French Public

Background. Knowing the facts and displaying the proper attitudes and behaviors are critical in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. Hepatitis C is a common infection, but the publicʹs understanding of it has not been studied. Methods. A convenience sample of 431 French adults, ages 18 to 81 years, completed a questionnaire designed to assess knowledge of hepatitis C and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. A group of nine medical experts also answered the hepatitis C questions. Results. The lay participants had many uncertainties about hepatitis C, and their beliefs frequently differed from medical understanding about hepatitis C. Their responses were correlated more closely with their own responses to the AIDS questions than with the expertsʹ understanding of hepatitis C. Conclusions. Information regarding hepatitis C should emphasize the distinctions between hepatitis C and AIDS as well as between hepatitis C and hepatitis B and between seropositivity and infection. People should also be informed that blood donation is safe, that using injected drugs is the main risk factor for hepatitis C, that alcohol aggravates hepatitis C, that hepatitis C can cause cancer, that an effective treatment for hepatitis C exists, and that they are not put at risk by mere causal contact with people ill with hepatitis C.