Myth-Information

Hepatitis C Myths

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THE MYTH: You can't get sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from giving or receiving oral sex.

THE REALITY: Any exposure to genitalia or body fluids puts you at risk for catching a STD. There are many STDs that can be transmitted by oral sex, including genital herpes, genital warts (Human Papiloma Virus), gonorrhea, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chlamydia, canchroid, syphilis, internal parasite, and rarely HIV.

THE MYTH: 30% of HCV infections are caused by injection drug use.

THE REALITY: Up to 60% of new infections are caused by injection drug use.

THE MYTH: You can't have two STDs at once, including HIV.

THE REALITY: You can have multiple STDs at a time. If you have just one other untreated STD, you are 10 times more likely to have HIV. Your chances are greater if you have genital warts, lesions or ulcers like those you can get with syphilis or herpes.

THE MYTH: I am not promiscuous and neither are the people I hang out with...it's unlikely that the people I would sleep with would have an STD.

THE REALITY: Females are more susceptible to acquiring STDs than males because their anatomy is more prone to infection in general. In addition, contracting STDs has nothing to do with cleanliness or grooming. Contracting an STD has everything to do with being intimate with someone who is already infected. The more partners you have or have had, the greater your chances of having an STD. The more partners your partner has or had, the greater your partner's chance of having an STD.

THE MYTH: You can tell by looking at someone if they have a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

THE REALITY: You have no way of knowing if a person has an STD just by looking at their appearance, such as how they dress and how "clean" they are. Most STDs have very few or no signs at all. Only in really extreme cases of certain STDs could a person detect signs of an STD in the groin area, but don't rely on it. The truth is, about one in four sexually experienced teens become infected with an STD.

THE MYTH: You can't get STDs from giving or receiving oral sex.

THE REALITY: This is one of the most dangerous myths in existence. Any exposure to genitalia or body fluids puts you at risk for getting an STD. There are many STDs that can be transmitted through oral sex, including genital herpes, genital warts (HPV), gonorrhea, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, chlamydia, canchroid, syphilis, internal parasite, and rarely, HIV. To prevent getting an STD from oral sex, you and your partner should get screened for STDs, and you should always use a condom or dental dam (a latex square or cut open condom) during oral sex. But of course, you can only get an STD if your partner has one in the first place, so get tested!

THE MYTH: If you don't have any symptoms, you don't have a sexually transmitted disease/sexually transmitted infection (STD/STI).

THE REALITY: Many STDs are asymptomatic meaning without symptoms. Serious damage is being done to a woman's reproductive organs whether she has symptoms or not. The only way to know for sure if you are infected is to be tested. If you suspect you have a sexually transmitted infection or if your sexual partner has symptoms, you can go to your doctor or health department for testing. Talk with a knowledgeable health care provider or counselor before and after you are tested.

The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases is to abstain from sexual contact or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected.

THE MYTH: If you have hepatitis C, drinking several glasses of wine each day won't hurt your liver.

THE REALITY: Alcohol is potentially toxic to the liver. Experts recommend that people infected with hepatitis C refrain from drinking alcohol, or drink as little as possible.

THE MYTH: Men who have sex with men are at increased risk for getting hepatitis C.

THE REALITY: The rates of HCV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) are not substantially higher than the rates among heterosexuals.

THE MYTH: Diet and exercise won't make a difference to your overall health if you have hepatitis C.

THE REALITY: There is evidence that a healthy diet and exercise can keep the liver healthier and slow the progression of the disease.

THE MYTH: Using two condoms, one on top of the other, gives you extra protection against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

THE REALITY: Using two condoms at once increases friction that will tear or break both condoms, increasing your risk of exposure to HIV and other STDs during sex.

THE MYTH: Hepatitis C can be spread by mosquitos.

THE REALITY: No, you cannot get hepatitis from a mosquito bite. The results of experiments and observations of insect biting behavior indicate that when an insect bites a person, it does not inject its own or a previously bitten person's or animal's blood into the next person bitten. Rather, it injects saliva, which acts as a lubricant so the insect can feed efficiently. Diseases such as yellow fever and malaria are transmitted through the saliva of specific species of mosquitos.

THE MYTH: Hepatitis C is a sexually transmitted disease (STD).

THE REALITY: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is transmitted by blood-to-blood exposure. This myth is grounded in some truth. Hepatitis C can be transmitted sexually but the risk is very low. Safer sex is recommended for people with risk factors for hepatitis C, which includes people with multiple sex partners, men who have sex with men, women who have sex with women, and sex workers.

THE MYTH: There are no effective treatments for hepatitis C.

THE REALITY: Today we have two FDA-approved regimens of pegylated interferon plus ribavirin which produce sustained virological response (SVR) rates up to 50% for people with genotype 1 and up to 80-90% for people with genotypes 2 and 3. The other good news is that once someone achieve an SRV the chances of long-term HCV eradication go up to 98-99%

THE MYTH: STDs are most common in older unmarried men.

THE REALITY: Teens have higher rates of gonorrhea than do sexually active men and women ages 20-44. More sexually active teens have contracted gonorrhea than sexually active 20-44 year olds. Chlamydia, another STD, is also more common among teens than older men and women.

THE MYTH: There is a vaccine to protect against hepatitis C.

THE REALITY: There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. Research underway, but an effective vaccine is not expected for at least 10 years. There are vaccines for hepatitis A and B.