About Hepatitis | How do I get Hepatitis C

Avoidance of spread of this virus is an important public health issue.
People found to have this infection need not become socially isolated to fulfill their responsibility to others around them, but some common sense precautions are necessary.
First, they should not share any needles or other equipment if they use drugs.
Second, they should not donate blood, nor should they donate any other organs. Although there is a critical shortage of organs donated for transplants, hepatitis C virus is readily transmitted to recipients with organs transplanted into them, and all potential organ donors are tested for hepatitis C before their organs are used in transplant operations.
Third, people with this disease should as a routine not share razors or toothbrushes with anyone. And as a courtesy they should let any health care professional (physician, nurse, dentist, podiatrist, etc.) who cares for them and who may be exposed to their blood, know that they have hepatitis C.

The current limited data suggest that sexual transmission is extremely rare, but it is certainly prudent to advise any sexual partners of any infection that you know you have. Although the risk of transmission of hepatitis C by unprotected intercourse - that is without the use of condoms - is far less than the risk of transmitting many other infections including hepatitis B, people with multiple sexual partners should always practise safe sex. Monogamous long-term partners should make an informed decision as to whether or not to change their sexual practices. Limited data to date suggests that pregnant women with hepatitis C seldom transmit this infection to the baby in the womb, but the risk of the baby getting the infection during delivery may be as high as 5%. As the tests for the virus may be misleading if such babies are tested when very young, it is probably not appropriate to test the babies blood until they are about 2 years of age.

There is no need to change daily family or personal routines simply because one member of a family has this infection. It is not necessary to use separate washrooms or eating utensils, for example. Nor is it appropriate to limit expressions of affection. Hug your children often. There are no scientific data available at the present time on which to base any recommendation to new mothers about breast feeding if they have hepatitis C. There are reasons to recommend breast feeding as a routine, but the possibility of transmission of this virus to the newborn in milk has not been excluded. Canadian researchers are attempting to provide answers to this important question

If your infection was discovered by the transfusion service when you last donated, you need do nothing further to help. However, if you became aware of your hepatitis C in some way other than by donating blood, and have given blood in the past, you should notify the local blood donor clinic in your area and tell them when you last gave blood , and where Unlike hepatitis B, which is almost entirely preventable with routine use of the very effective vaccine available for that disease, at this time there is no vaccine available which is capable of protecting anyone from hepatitis C infection. The development of an effective vaccine against hepatitis C is a goal of researchers, but progress has been slow in this.