Correlation of literacy and awareness regarding hepatitis C: a survey of family members of hepatitis C patients’

Objective: To determine the knowledge among family members of Hepatitis C patients and correlate it with their educational status. Study Design: A cross sectional observational study. Place and Duration: Outpatient department of Aziz BhattiShaheed Teaching hospital, Gujrat from 1st January 2015 to 31st march 2015. Methodology: Data was collected to assess the fundamental knowledge and mode of transmission in people coming with HCV infected patients. Collected data was analyzed by SPSS V.20. Results: Two hundred and forty one participants were included in study with mean age of 33 years (+11.940 SD). Male to female ratio was 3.30:1, 65.98% married and 104 were below matric (SSC). Two hundred twenty (90%) attendants knew that HCV can cause chronic inflammation, liver failure and liver cancer. Sixty three (26%) assumed it to be a bacterial infection. 164 (Sixty eight %) thought vaccine is available. More than 90 % of attendants knew that it is transmitted through sharing or reuse of syringes 236 (97.9%), blood transfusion without screening 235 (97.5%) and needle stick injuries 225 (93.4%). Two hundred thirty two (96.3 %) disagreed its transmission through holding hands, hugging and kissing. Ninety (37.3%) and fifty five (22.8%) assumed its spread through drinking polluted and unsafe sex respectively. Seventy (29%) disagreed its spread perinataly and contact with open wound. Male and above matric participants have significantly better knowledge (<0.05). Conclusion: Awareness about HCV among attendants of hepatitis C infected patients was inadequate and has lot of misconceptions especially among females and less educated people