Have you ever been in contact with someone who has Hepatitis C?

Would you personally choose to be in a relationship with someone living with Hepatitis C?

If you aren't particularly familiar with the specifics of this condition, you might find it helpful to read the information on this page

p.s. I would appreciate it if you didn't save the results of this poll. It would also be quite helpful if you could provide a brief reason for choosing "no"

That is a genuinely difficult question to tackle...
Once I have a better grasp of the specifics regarding the illness, I’ll be able to give you a more honest answer.
For now, though—I’m leaning toward yes.

fadedraven59 said:That’s a tough one to call right now..
Once I dig deeper into how this disease actually works, I'll give you a straight answer.
But for now? My gut says yes.

Yeah, you aren't going to catch it just from chains, whips, or anything like that.

stormyheron4 said:well, I suppose one couldn't contract anything through chains, tongues, or whips, I guess.

I would kindly ask that we don't let this topic get derailed, as the matter at hand is quite serious and this is intended to be a poll.

Zachary Davis5 said:Let's keep this thread on track. This is a serious question and we're running a poll here.

Look, speaking as a dentist, I know firsthand how dangerous this can be. Honestly, I wouldn't date someone with Hepatitis C. HC is incredibly contagious—way more than HIV—and the fallout from an infection is no joke.

I’ve been dealing with this since '93, back when they first started running markers for Duke Energy—not to mention how much I likely carried before then without a clue. I got married in '87, completely oblivious to the whole thing; back then, nobody knew anything about it, and honestly, looking at things now, it feels like we still haven't caught up. I had my kid, and then in '93, everything came to light after I went in to donate blood and they ran the initial screenings on us. They’ve been monitoring my wife and daughter at least once a year since, and both of them are NEGATIVE! Right now, I’m on Pegasus, which is an absolute grind. It’s a brutal 48-week stretch, and I’ve got three weeks left to go. I’ll post the results once I'm through.

stormyheron4 said:look, speaking as a dentist, I know exactly how dangerous this thing is. I wouldn't even think about dating someone with Hepatitis C because HC is incredibly contagious—way more than HIV—and the fallout from catching it is no joke.

I'm with you on that one.

I’m no doctor, but I am aware that Hepatitis C is a seriously nasty, highly infectious, and incurable disease.

Look, if I find out someone has an infection before we even start a relationship, then I wouldn't go through with it. If it happens later with someone I'm already committed to, then I’d stay by their side.

The logic is simple: if there is a way to prevent a situation from happening, I'm going to take it. I won't enter a relationship knowing that person has Hepatitis. However, if it develops after we are already established—say, if we are heading toward marriage or are already married—I would stay. But if it's something known at the very beginning, I’d walk away before I ever let myself fall in love.

Why?

Because I have no desire to live a life defined by constant anxiety, wondering if I'll catch something and having to be perpetually on guard when the risk could have been avoided entirely. But, as I mentioned, if it's a partner I truly love, I would choose to be careful and protect us while staying with them. For instance, if I found out my husband had it, I wouldn't just leave him.

HCV is primarily spread through blood-to-blood contact—think transfusions or shared needles—so the odds of catching it from a partner are incredibly slim. While sexual transmission is technically possible on paper, it’s extremely rare—and usually only becomes a real factor if the person with HCV is also dealing with another STI, like HIV.

So, the short answer is YES.

Maria Grant42 said:HCV is primarily transmitted through blood transfusions or direct "blood-to-blood" contact, which means the odds of catching it from a partner are incredibly slim. While sexual transmission is theoretically possible, it’s exceptionally rare—usually only occurring if the individual with HCV is also dealing with another STI, such as HIV.

So, the answer is YES.

To be perfectly honest, this is the first time I’ve heard that the risk during sex is actually that minimal. It seems like every doctor who ever lectured me in medical school was talking nonsense.🙄

To everyone here who says they wouldn’t be with someone if that person tested positive for HCV: let me ask you this—would you really dump a partner you've loved and built a life with just because they suddenly found out they have HCV, especially after you've tested negative yourselves?

No matter what your answer is, I’ll tell you one thing: you are being nothing more than discriminators who fail to grasp that we are all just temporary visitors here. No matter how hard you fight it or try to cling to a false sense of security within your tiny little worlds, nothing is ever truly under your control. You’re here today, and tomorrow you could be gone.
Personally, I would consciously choose to be with someone living with any serious infectious disease, provided they are an honest, kind, and faithful soul who loves me as much as I love them. I’d make that choice regardless of the risk to my own health or life, because I know my time is fleeting and I know what real human values look like.

Smoking is just as lethal, causing millions of agonizing deaths every year, including for those caught in the secondhand smoke. Are we supposed to ditch them too?

I feel like I’m scrolling through CNN or something... I think I read somewhere that even Dina Dvornik dealt with Hepatitis C. If I totally misread that, my bad...

Look, if I actually gave a damn about someone, sick or not, I’d be right there by their side. Honestly, I’d probably be working even harder to help them out because I know they’d need it. But if I don't care about you? Then I'm not hanging around, even if you're the picture of perfect health...
I'm with Angela Wright on this one—we're all just passing through. You never truly know what tomorrow holds, and God forbid we find ourselves in a spot where everyone just walks away when things get rough...

Angela Wright said:Look, regardless of how you answer, I'll tell you one thing: you're being discriminators. You just don't get that we're all just passing through here. Nothing is ever truly under your control, no matter how hard you try to deny it or how much you attempt to build up this fake sense of security in your tiny little worlds.

I’m not some bigot just because I wouldn't date someone with HCV.Just because you would be with someone like that doesn't give you the right to call everyone else a discriminator for choosing not to be.

I have a close friend who is HIV positive. I’ve never treated her any differently; she gets the exact same respect and friendship as anyone else. But putting your own health and your entire life on the line for the reasons you listed? That's a personal choice, not discrimination like you claim.

Discrimination would be treating people like second-class citizens or acting like they're worth less than others. Avoiding a physical relationship with someone due to infection risks isn't hate—it's just looking out for your own health.

Everyone really needs to get tested at Duke Energy. Take me, for example—I didn't have a single symptom to suggest anything was wrong, and from what I’ve heard from others dealing with Pegasus, there are plenty more people in the same boat. It’s entirely possible you’re out here acting like you're totally fine and distancing yourself from those living with Duke Energy, while you're actually carrying it too. Are you going to be honest and tell your kid or your wife the truth? Or are you just going to live in fear of being left alone and sick?

Roger Martin5 said:Everyone really needs to get checked at Duke Energy because, personally, I didn't have any symptoms at all to suggest I was sick. Looking at my buddies on Pegasus, I see plenty of others in the same boat. It’s totally possible you're out here acting like you're against anyone with Duke Energy while you're actually carrying it yourself! Would you actually be honest with your kid or your wife about the illness? Or would you just live in fear of ending up ALONE and SICK?

If you're asking me, I'd tell my wife or my girlfriend straight up that I tested positive for HCV. I’d much rather be alone and sick than risk infecting her. And if I were single, I wouldn't even start a relationship for that exact same reason—I don't want to pass it on.

Besides, if someone is married or in a serious relationship, they can still be close to someone with HCV without having sex or any other risky contact that spreads the virus. A breakup isn't always necessary.

I'm 100% with you on the testing part. There are tons of people living with HCV who have no clue because they've never had a blood transfusion or been exposed to any typical transmission methods.

stormyheron4 said:I’m not some bigot just because I wouldn't date someone living with HCV.Just because you would be with someone in that situation doesn't give you the right to label everyone else a discriminator for choosing not to.

I have a close friend who is HIV positive, and I’ve never treated her any differently than anyone else—she's just my friend. But deciding to put your own health and your entire life on the line for the reasons you listed? That's a personal choice, not discrimination, regardless of how you want to spin it.

Discrimination is treating people like second-class citizens or acting like they're somehow less valuable. Avoiding intimacy with someone due to the risk of infection isn't hate; it's basic self-preservation.

Look, I’m not out here labeling anyone; I’m simply stating facts. If you see things through a different lens or draw your own analogies, that's your prerogative. I have every right to voice my opinion. Everything in this world comes down to personal choice, but you have to admit that certain realities are clearly defined—it just depends on how willing a person is to face those definitions head-on.

p.s. I’ve never been with an infected partner, but if someone dear to me suddenly fell ill, I wouldn't walk away. Likewise, if I were single, I’d allow someone in my life, because a diagnosis doesn't define a person's soul. Personally, my definition of "staying healthy" is much broader than yours, because it includes spiritual well-being. I’d feel absolutely terrible—to the point where I couldn't function—if I turned away someone with incredible character just out of fear of catching something. These kinds of people are becoming rare in the world, and I certainly wouldn't let some stupid disease prevent such nobility from entering my life.
I'm truly not judging anyone, but I've lived through certain experiences—quite traumatic ones—that have completely reshaped how I perceive and accept illness, especially when it involves serious infectious diseases.

I know some of you might laugh at the example I'm about to bring up, but think about Mother Teresa. She dedicated her entire existence to helping the critically ill, including those suffering from horrific diseases, nursing them through constant physical contact. She lived a long life and never contracted anything. I truly believe she was rewarded by God because she wasn't afraid; her love for others and her ability to accept people exactly as they are always came before her own comfort.

Sandra Martin72 said:Honestly, this is the first time I’ve heard anyone claim transmission risk during sex is actually that low—clearly, every single doctor who taught me medicine was just talking out of their ass.🙄

Go read some actual medical literature. If nothing else, pick up an infectious disease textbook. 😉

Noticing there aren't a ton of responses on this poll yet, so I’m bumping the thread to get everyone more involved!
Thanks 🙂

For me, it really boils down to the individual—whether we actually click. Honestly, having HCV isn't the dealbreaker; there are much bigger things I care about...

I mean, imagine if they were just some sour person who couldn't take a joke, someone constantly bringing everyone down—I wouldn't want to be stuck suffering through that alone...

I think this is more of a question of chemistry and love rather than a medical one...

As for HCV, it’s something you can manage. Even if standard medicine doesn't have all the answers, there are other approaches beyond just conventional treatments...

On the phone?🙄