The Next Plague: Stigmatization and Discrimination Related to Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Australia

A recently discovered hepatitis C virus is a common cause of chronic liver disease in industrialized countries. Because it is basically blood-borne and because blood donors are systematically screened, the only major group now at risk of infection are injecting drug users. There are increasing reports of stigmatization, affronts to dignity and discrimination as a result of the hepatitis C status of individuals, but little action is being taken to prevent or redress these. In an attempt to stimulate such action, we collected 37 reports of such incidents in Australia in 1994, in the domestic, work, recreational, day care and funeral settings, but the most common involved health care settings and health professionals. In general, action did not follow from such incidents, despite the fact that Australia has a very strong framework of anti-discrimination legislation and process. It is urgently necessary that these issues be addressed, both in themselves and as a necessary prerequisite for controlling the continued massive spread of hepatitis C among injecting drug users.