MYTH: Beware of sweaty equipment at the gym. You may catch hepatitis from using them.

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are not transmitted through sweat. So go ahead and enjoy your workout.

However, it is wise to be blood safe at the gym and not share articles which might have come into contact with blood, such as boxing gloves.

MYTH: You can get hepatitis from sharing food and utensils.

There is no evidence of people getting hepatitis C or hepatitis B from sharing food and utensils.

Hepatitis C is transmitted only via blood-to-bloodstream contact.

While hepatitis B is found in the saliva, the amount of virus in it is not enough for saliva to be a transmission agent. You will need to drink buckets of saliva before transmission may occur.

MYTH: My child’s best friend has hepatitis B. To protect my child, sadly, I have to limit their contact or watch over them all the time. And no sleep-overs.

Most children in Australia have been vaccinated against hepatitis B. The vaccine is safe and effective. If you are not sure whether your child has been vaccinated, talk to your doctor.

Make sure your child is vaccinated and let them play, fight, sleep-over...

MYTH: Don’t eat food prepared by someone with hepatitis. It may be contaminated and you might catch it.

You may get hepatitis A from food prepared by someone with the disease but only if he/she was unhygienic, i.e. didn’t wash their hands properly with soap after toileting and before food preparation.

Hepatitis B and C are not transmitted by casual contact.

MYTH: People who have hepatitis must have been promiscuous.

Hepatitis C is not a sexually transmitted infection.

While hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted infection, it is also transmitted via blood to bloodstream contact. Most people who have chronic hepatitis B got it from their mothers during birth when hepatitis B vaccinations and hepatitis B Immunoglobulin were unavailable.

Having hepatitis is no indicator of a person's sexual behaviour one way or the other.