Encarta Dictionary describes a stigma as being "a sign of social unacceptability: the shame or disgrace attached to something regarded as socially unacceptable".
Hep C is on the rise, yet shockingly, less and less people seem to aware of the virus itself and how it is spread. There are currently more people living with Hep C than any other chronic blood borne infectious disease. I personally was very surprised to learn this. I had always thought HIV / AIDS held this title. We all learn about HIV / AIDS at some point in our life - usually at school at first. However, although I was aware of Hep C as an adult, I'd never learnt anything about it at school - nor did I know a great until I met my partner.
It is clear that the stigma surrounding Hep C has to be broken. There are two key parts to breaking a disease related stigma : education and self respect. I'll touch on these two points a little later on. The primary reasons for any condition to be stigmatized are lack of compassion, fear and ignorance. Hep C is stigmatized for the following reasons:
1. Fear of transmission 2. Fear of illness 3. Judgement.
The root of all social stigmas is fear of the unkown. Until society as a whole learns the facts about Hep C, false stereotypes fuelled by fear will remain as will the stigma itself.
My partner was terrified about telling me he had Hep C. As I've already mentioned in a previous post, he even denied it when I asked him early on in our relationship. His experiences of telling people have not been so good. Even intelligent, seemingly educated people have shunned him in the past when he told them. I find this heartbreaking. I didn't think any different of him, not even for a second. Yet some people had been callous and downright pathetic in the way they treated him once they knew the truth.
These days Mr C is very careful who he chooses to tell about his condition. only a handful of close friends and his immediate family know. I often think it would be easier if all our friends and family knew. It is often tricky coming up with excuses as to why we can't attend a party or other social engagement e'd areed to - when in actual fact, my partner is going through a bad time with his Hep C (be it mental or physical). He is always very aware of letting people down and feels terrible when he's forced to do this. I tend to think that the vast majority of our friends would be supportive and understanding. But at the end of the day, I understand it is entirely his choice as to who he wishes to tell. Even when we are out, if everyone knew he shouldn't be drinking, he would possibly feel more comfortable not drinking instead of keeping up a dangerous act by 'drinking with the boys' as it were.
I would love to see schools introducing Hep C awareness into their curriculum, perhaps in the form of PHSE / PSE lessons. I also think there needs to be a lot more focus on Harm Reduction.
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