Knowledge Gaps as regards Hepatitis C Virus: A Health Awareness Campaign among Cairo University Students

Background: Public awareness campaigns (PACs) are considered useful tools in raising awareness of youth towards hepatitis viruses; and plays an important role in its elimination. Objectives: to assess the knowledge and raise the awareness of freshmen students attending Cairo University for the academic year 2016\2017 towards HCV. Method: Cross sectional study was conducted among 1649 students; a self-administered questionnaire was used to identify youth’s knowledge regarding HCV. This was followed by a PAC entitled “Cairo University free from Hepatitis C” using variety of health education materials in the form of brochures, video films and short seminars. Results: Mean total knowledge percent score was 51±17.6 percent. The main source of HCV literacy was the internet (36%), followed by health care workers (23.8%). Conclusion: moderate level of knowledge regarding HCV was observed among studied Cairo University students. It is recommended to empower health care workers with appropriate communication and health education skills to improve public awareness regarding HCV.