"To die is better than to tell": reasons for and against disclosure of chronic hepatitis B status in Ghana.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:People with a condition subject to stigmatisation, such as chronic hepatitis B, face the dilemma of whether or not to disclose their status. In Ghana, 12.3% of the adult population has the hepatitis B virus (HBV). One key strategy for breaking the cycle of hepatitis B transmission is the disclosure of hepatitis B status by people with chronic hepatitis B (PWHB). Disclosure can facilitate preventive actions to reduce hepatitis B transmission (e.g., not sharing personal items and avoiding contact with blood and body fluids). Disclosure can also motivate family members of PWHB to get tested, linked to care and clinically managed in order to reduce the progression of hepatitis B to liver cirrhosis and cancer. Given the importance of disclosure, we set out to explore reasons for and

SUBMITTER: Adjei CA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7216649 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature