Fear of dying and HIV infection vs hepatitis B infection.

Schneiderman, L J; Kaplan, R M · Am J Public Health · 1992

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Abstract

Accidental exposure to the blood of hepatitis B patients produced less fear than does accidental exposure today to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), even though both have an approximately equal overall risk of death (approximately 1%). Subjects responding to hypothetical insect-exposure and disease-exposure scenarios chose to avoid the HIV-type risk of 1% chance of exposure/100% chance of death. Fear of certain death seems to account for the greater concern about exposure to HIV than to Hepatitis B.

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