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Hepatitis C TransmissionHelp our Disabled American Veterans Our veteran heroes need your support! Over 37,000 men and women have been injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many face serious injuries, endure extensive recoveries and are not receiving the treatment and care they have earned and deserve. I earn a small amount of money each time you click on these Google ads and/or use the Google search feature on this website. I will donate half of everything I earn from these Google ads and Google search to the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary.
Will you help me support our Disabled American Veterans? Hepatitis C transmission occurs when there is either a direct or indirect exchange of blood between people where at least one person is already infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Any activity that results in the exchange of Hepatitis C infected blood between people facilitates Hepatitis C transmission. Blood products used during medical procedures
Prior to 1990, any medical procedure that resulted in a patient receiving blood products would have put the patient at increased risk of Hepatitis C infection. This was because an antibody test for the Hepatitis C virus didn’t exist.
Once a test for the antibody to the HCV was developed, testing the blood supplies in Canada and the United States became a standard practice.
While the testing of blood products for the Hepatitis C virus is commonplace in most other developed countries the same cannot be said for less developed areas of the world. Keep this in mind as you travel abroad.
Thanks to careful testing of existing blood supplies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that a person has less than 1 chance in 1 million blood units donated of being infected with the HCV by receiving blood products during medical procedures. Despite the best efforts of the medical community to eliminate the risk of Hepatitis C transmission to their patients there are still some medical procedures or products that can put patients at risk. Kidney dialysis machines: Because there is a possibility of someone else’s contaminated blood being present on/in the machine.
Reusable needles: Because there is a possibility of someone else’s contaminated blood still being on and/or in the needle.
Donated organs: Prior to 1990, there was an increased risk that a donated organ may have been contaminated with HCV. According to the CDC, organ donor testing for the Hepatitis C virus started in May 1990. Other probable Hepatitis C transmission pathways are... Illegal intravenous drug use
Injecting illegal drugs is a chief cause of current Hepatitis C infection. According to the CDC, HCV is highly prevalent (50%–95%) among injection drug users and is usually rapidly acquired after drug users first inject drugs.
Several studies have now shown that Hepatitis C transmission among injection drug users is associated with both direct and indirect sharing of injection equipment (works) such as syringes, needles, cookers, cotton, or anything else that might contain infected blood from someone else.
Even though you may never actually see any blood…you still are at increased risk of being exposed to the Hepatitis C virus.
It only takes sharing contaminated intravenous drug paraphernalia once to become infected with HCV. Addiction Free Forever Program
A complete at-home addiction recovery program that permanently and naturally cures an alcohol or drug addiction. Illegal Intranasal drug use
If you have ever shared rolled up paper money or a plastic straw to snort drugs such as cocaine, crystal meth (methamphetamine), or other powdered forms of drugs, you may have been exposed to Hepatitis C virus.
Blood is easily exchanged in this manner if the nasal membranes bleed onto the item being shared.
It only takes sharing contaminated intranasal drug paraphernalia once to become infected with HCV.
Approximately 5% of children that are born to mothers infected with the Hepatitis C virus become infected themselves.
In those cases where transference does take place, it remains unknown as to whether Hepatitis C transmission of the virus from mother to child takes place while the child is still in the mother’s womb or during childbirth.
While there currently are no reports of mothers transferring the virus to their children through breast feeding it is highly recommended that breastfeeding be avoided if a woman’s nipples are cracked and/or bleeding.
Studies have clearly shown that there is practically no Hepatitis C transmission between monogamous male and female couples over a long period of time. Even if you are in a monogamous relationship, it would be wise for your partner to get tested.
The risk of getting Hepatitis C transmission is increased if you are sexual active with multiple partners; have certain sexually transmitted diseases (STD); or if you are exposed to blood during sex.
Exposure to blood during sex is highly probable when a woman is menstruating; during rough sex in which one person bleeds; during anal sex that results in damage to the lining of the rectum; or when you or your partner has open genital sores from herpes or another STD.
Oral sex is also not considered a cause of Hepatitis C transmission. It is still highly probable to become infected or infect someone else if contact with blood occurs during oral sex.
Using condoms reduces your chance of becoming infected or infecting others with STDs and/or the Hepatitis C virus. A latex sheet, known as a dental dam, can be used during oral sex.
If you have Hepatitis C or live with someone who does you should never share personal items such as toothbrushes, razors, or any other personal items that has the potential of coming in contact with HCV contaminated blood.
According to the CDC, although some studies have found an association between tattooing and HCV infection in very selected populations, it is not known if these results can be generalized to the whole population. For example, during the past 20 years, less than 1% of persons with newly acquired Hepatitis C reported to CDC's sentinel surveillance system gave a history of being tattooed.
The CDC is currently conducting a large study to evaluate tattooing as a potential risk, stating that studies are needed to determine if these types of exposures, and the settings in which they occur, are risk factors for HCV infection in the United States.
Getting a tattoo or piercing cannot be totally ruled out as a way of becoming infected with the Hepatitis C virus. If you have had a tattoo or piercing in an unsanitary setting you are at an increased risk of contracting Hepatitis C.
While the shops I have recently visited use autoclaves to sterilize their instruments (including needles); are meticulous about using small single-use ink containers; cover their instruments with clear plastic; and wear rubber gloves during the tattooing process I am confident this is not the norm at all shops.
I am sure there are still shops out there that are guilty of not using sterilized their instruments and are guilty of using the same ink containers for multiple customers.
These practices increase the risk of being infected with the Hepatitis C virus.
If your work puts you in contact with Hepatitis C infected blood you are at risk of being exposed to the Hepatitis C virus.
People that work in healthcare, such as doctors, nurses, and dentists; and people that work in public safety, such as firemen, emergency medical technicians, and police are at risk regularly of being exposed to contaminated blood during the performance of their jobs. Protecting others from getting infected
According to the CDC, recent studies suggest that HCV may survive on environmental surfaces at room temperature for at least 16 hours, but no longer than 4 days.
However you contracted Hepatitis C, you need to be responsible and take all necessary precautions to insure your blood is kept safely away from others. Do you have a personal experience to share relating to Hepatitis C transmission?You can help improve the content of this site by sharing your personal experiences. Doing so will help hundreds, if not thousands, of people living with Hepatitis C.
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