What is Hepatitis C?

Hepatitis C is another hepatitis disease, similar to hepatitis A and B.  All are caused by a virus that attacks the liver, and can cause nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dark urine, abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. 

Hepatitis C (HCV) occurs when blood or bodily fluids from an infected person gets into the blood of a person who is not infected. This can happen in a number of ways such as sharing needles or works when using injection drugs, using intranasal drugs, being stuck with a needle or other sharp instrument that has the blood of an infected person on it, having a blood transfusion before May 1992, receiving blood clotting factors before 1987, sexual contact, tattooing, piercing, or getting it from your mother at birth.

The symptoms – if present – are similar to hepatitis B. However, more than half of those who have HCV show no symptoms. Talk to your doctor about getting tested for HCV if you have any of the risk factors noted above.

Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. But there are steps you can take from getting hepatitis C or spreading it to others.

If you do not have hepatitis C, take these preventative steps to protect yourself from others’ blood and bodily fluids:

• Don’t use injection or intranasal drugs
• Don’t share personal items that might have blood on them (razors, toothbrushes, needles)
• Don’t have unprotected sex

If you have hepatitis C, take these preventative steps to protect others from your blood and bodily fluids:

• Cover cuts and sores
• Don’t have unprotected sex
• Don’t donate blood, semen, body organs, other tissue
• Don’t breastfeed if nipples are cracked and/or bleeding