MYTH: Watch out who you share your laundry with. You can get hepatitis from doing your washing in the same load.

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses are not found on clothing through normal skin contact. It is safe to wash clothes in the same load as someone with hepatitis, even if they are blood stained.

MYTH: People who have hepatitis should not breastfeed their infants. They can pass it on to their babies that way.

Hepatitis C and B are not transmitted through breast milk.

However, if you have cracked nipples then some blood may escape, and if baby has a small cut in the mouth, blood-to-bloodstream contact is possible, allowing the transmission of hepatitis.

If cracks occur in a nipple, feed from the other breast. Express milk and discard it until the graze or cracks have healed. This will ensure continued milk production from the affected breast.

For more information: http://bit.ly/pregbirthbeyond.

MYTH: Don’t share clothes with people who have hepatitis or sit or sleep where they have been. You might get infected.

Hepatitis B and C are not transmitted through casual contact, sneezing, coughing or breathing the same air.

Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood-to-bloodstream contact and sexual contact.

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

The blood and/or sexual fluid have to get into your body for transmission to occur.

MYTH: People who have hepatitis cannot drink alcohol, ever!

While it is best to abstain from alcohol if your liver is damaged, people with hepatitis can still drink alcohol in limited quantities, depending on the state of their liver health.

The amount of alcohol your liver can handle depends on the degree of damage it has suffered from the hepatitis. However it is recommended that you limit the amount you drink even if your liver is not damaged.

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.