Awareness, knowledge and attitudes of the general public towards hepatitis C in Port Said City, Egypt

الملخص EN

Hepatitis C is a major and increasing health problem in Egypt.

To assess the awareness, knowledge, and attitudes of the general public towards Hepatitis C a KAP cross-sectional study was conducted in Port Said between May and November 2005 on 395 randomly selected individuals over 18 years of age.

A structured questionnaire collected data for the assessment of personal characteristics, general knowledge about Hepatitis C, awareness about Hepatitis C transmission and ways of its prevention, and the society’s attitudes towards Hepatitis C.

Approximately 95 % of the study population had heard about Hepatitis C but only half were certain that it was a public health problem.

Many had incorrect perceptions about transmission, prevention and vaccination.

There is an obvious need for public educa¬tion in which government and health educators can play an important and effective role.