Thanks RHF, a great post on what is an important subject that I suspect will become more so as greater numbers of people receive treatment and attain SVR. I have said on a number of occasions that the best way to help end the worldwide HCV pandemic is to break down the stigma associated with the disease. Currently the general public has very little idea about the disease, the number of people impacted or the injustices perpetrated by big pharma greed.

In my case I made a decision last year when I started treatment that I would disclose my status at my own discretion as part of the education process (and to some extent because I decided it was easier than not doing so). As a result I have told all my friends and many of my associates and have given most my permission to pass on that knowledge at their discretion while explaining that I trust them to do the right thing. And like you I find many are curious and wish to know more about a disease they often think is incurable. At the same time I am not yet comfortable disclosing on social media where I have no control of how it is spread or construed. So on here and other sites my public face is Gaj although those who have had private conversations with me will know that I am happy to use my real name in those situations.

Also like yourself, something that has come up several times while disclosing to others is that they have then said “Oh, ‘mutual friend’ has Hep C too”. My response has been to ask if the friend has given them permission to disclose that information while at the same time pointing out that my status doesn’t constitute that permission, but I then tell them they can inform our friend of my status and to ask him/her to contact me if he/she is interested in learning more about seeking treatment.

What I’m trying to say here is that while I fully support and encourage disclosing of HCV status to help spread the message to others, it must be our own choice as some of us are better prepared/equipped than others to fend off any potential stigma that may ensue for ourselves and possibly our loved ones. We need to make the decision ourselves and ensure it only applies to ourselves unless we have been given permission by the other person.