Effect of mass media campaign to reduce socioeconomic differences in women's awareness and behaviour concerning use of folic acid: cross sectional study.

Our finding of 86% seropositivity for hepatitis C virus is consistent with the 67% found among Australian injecting drug users and 75% among UK addicts receiving maintenance treatment. The participants’ perceptions of their viral status were often inaccurate: for both hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus, they tended to believe they were negative when they were positive. If untested drug users assume they are positive and act accordingly they pose no threat to public health. If they mistakenly presume negative status, this may have serious public health consequences. Clinicians should encourage testing in all patients who are injecting drug users and use this as a catalyst for interventions. As Crofts et al point out, drug treatment alone is not sufficient in reducing hepatitis seroconversion and clinicians must be more vigorous in encouraging drug users to reduce risk behaviours.