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To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2009.01172.x Byline: Magdalena Harris Keywords: hepatitis C; diagnosis; biographical disruption; narrative; meaning Abstract: Abstract This paper explores the impact of hepatitis C diagnosis among participants of a recent qualitative study based in New Zealand and Australia. The findings of this research were unique with regard to the small amount of existing literature on the topic. Whilst most social research indicates that diagnosis with hepatitis C is a disruptive or distressing experience, study participants were almost evenly divided between those who reported being distressed by diagnosis and those who described contracting hepatitis C as 'no big deal'. The varied nature of participants' narratives about their hepatitis C diagnosis indicates that the experience of biographical disruption is contextual: dependent upon previous experiences of illness, marginalisation or hardship, and the extent to which hepatitis C is an unknown entity or normalised within community networks. This paper draws on the theoretical frameworks of biographical disruption, normalisation and dys-appearance to illuminate these and other contextual issues informing participants' narratives of unconcern about hepatitis C diagnosis. Article note: Address for correspondence: Magdalena Harris, National Centre in HIV Social Research, University of New South Wales, Level 2, Webster Building, Sydney, New South Wales 2051, Australia e-mail: magdalena@unsw.edu.au

Stigma poses significant challenges to those with chronic hepatitis C (CHC), their social networks, communities, and society. This study's purpose was to identify and describe how people lived with CHC and made self-care decisions. Data are presented from interviews and daily recordings of 26 study participants. Experiences of stigma were attributed primarily to misconceptions about the cause and transmission of the disease and its association with illicit drug use. Perceptions and responses to stigma were context-dependent, flexible, and varied over time. Stigma created barriers to access of health services and undermined the social supports required to address self-care needs and illness management. The extent and severity of stigma suggests that interventions to reduce or eliminate stigma will require individual, structural, and systemic changes. Further study is required to clarify the relationship between the trajectory of CHC and the experience and responses to stigma. Keywords: stigma; hepatitis C; chronic; illicit drugs; HIV

Australian high school students' knowledge of hepatitis C is poor. An 1997 survey showed that of 7 questions about hepatitis, students answered only one correctly more than half the time and few would distinguish between hepatitis A, B and C. These results suggest high schools need health promotion programs including study of hepatitis.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to observe the personal impact of hepatitis C virus on individuals notified in NSW, Australia. Researchers used a self-administered questionnaire to assess the impact. Nearly half of these individuals reported fatigue and other adverse social, mental, and physical outcomes.