MYTH: Don't play contact sports with people who have hepatitis. You can catch it from them.

All sports should play the Blood Rule which says that where bleeding occurs during sports, all play must stop, first aid provided, cuts and grazes covered, and equipment or grounds cleaned up before game resumes. For more information, see http://bit.ly/bloodrules. Also visit www.playthebloodrule.com, and keep that top player in your team.

MYTH: Be careful who you kiss. You can get hepatitis from kissing.

Hepatitis B and hepatitis C are not transmitted via saliva. Hepaittis B is transmitted through blood to bloodstream contact and sexual contact. Hepatitis C is transmitted only through blood to bloodstream contact.

Although the hepatitis B virus is found in saliva the amount is not enough for it to be a transmission route. However, hepatitis B and C may be transmitted through kissing if there is blood present.

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: Hepatitis can be spread through hugging.

Go ahead and hug them.

You can’t get hepatitis from hugging, shaking hands, back slapping, high fives or other casual contacts that make life more enjoyable.

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.