An interactive website is educating young people on the dangers of hepatitis C.

The What is this Hep C thing? site is a co-project of the Education + Resource Centre at the Alfred Hospital, La Trobe University and the Hepatitis C Council of Victoria.

Alfred Education + Resource Centre Coordinator Gabrielle Bennett said the website was developed to educate the increasing number of young Victorians at risk of becoming infected with hepatitis C but who displayed a worrying lack of knowledge about the virus and how it could be spread and contracted.

'Hepatitis C is one of the fastest spreading infectious diseases in Australia yet there is a serious misunderstanding in the community and among health workers about the virus,' Ms Bennett said.

The website engages users in an interactive story about three young people facing a scenario that may lead to hepatitis C infection—a visit to a questionable tattoo parlour.

Along the way, it provides information and facts about the virus.

The story concludes with a quiz.

'The site will be used primarily in secondary schools as a resource for young people at a time before they are at risk of infection', Ms Bennett said.

•          Visit the What is this Hep C thing? site at www.hepc.com.au.