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Hepatitis C Spreads Through Blood
Contact
Hepatitis C is usually spread from one person to another by
direct exposure to infected blood or blood products, and needles or other
sharp
objects. With hepatitis C, there is risk associated with everyday events,
such
as bleeding from cuts or nosebleeds, and blood from menstruation.
Personal
household items (for example, toothbrushes, razors, or manicure
instruments)
that come in contact with the blood of an infected person can become a means
of
spreading the virus.
Sex and
Hepatitis
C. The risk of contracting hepatitis C through sexual contact
is
higher for people with multiple sexual partners. Hepatitis C is rarely
spread
from an infected mother to her newborn, or between members of a
household.
However, if the mother is also HIV-positive, the risk of passing the
hepatitis
C virus is much higher. Breast-feeding does not appear to transmit the
hepatitis C virus.
Casual
Contact
Does Not Spread Hepatitis C. If you have hepatitis C, you
cannot
infect others through hugging, shaking hands, sneezing, coughing,
sharing
eating utensils or drinking glasses, kissing on the cheek, casual contact,
or
other contact that doesn't involve exposure to blood.
A person infected with hepatitis C may become infectious to
others as soon as two weeks after being infected themselves.
Learn more about Hep C and how it spreads with our video "What is
Hepatitis
C".
You can turn to The Be In Charge® Program for a vast
amount of additional information and support as you manage your hepatitis
C
treatment. Sign up now for this
tremendous support tool.
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