Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the HCV virus. It is by far the most serious variety of Hepatitis with 75-80% of affected patients developing chronic infection. There are two types of Hepatitis C infection one is chronic and the other one is acute. Diagnosing the same in its acute stage becomes difficult as it shows its symptoms at the later stage.

Hepatitis C ranges from short term to lifelong illness. There are nearly 40,000 cases of this infection every year. The disease turns chronic in most cases. Unlike Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B, there is no vaccine for this variety of Hepatitis. Early warning signs of Hepatitis C may appear as late as 6 months after coming into contact with the virus. It may also cause liver cirrhosis and cancer.

How is Hepatitis C transmitted?
HCV virus is blood-borne, and can be transmitted via blood. The virus may remain dormant inside the patient’s body without showing any early warning signs of hepatitis C before it turns chronic. Some of the ways Hepatitis C gets transmitted include:

• Hepatitis C is spread from an infected person to a healthy person via blood transfusion and organ donation.
• Sharing needles to inject some substances like drugs into the bloodstream can also lead to the transmission of the virus.
• It can spread from an infected mother to her child.
• In rare cases, the HCV virus can also be transmitted via unprotected sexual contact between a male and a female. However, transmission via unprotected sex between two men is more common.
• Getting a tattoo using a needle that was used on an infected person can lead to transmission of HCV virus.
• Sharing self-care items like toothbrush, nail cutters and razors with an infected person may lead to transmission of the virus.
• During an outbreak in a hospital, it may spread to healthy individuals.

Risk factors associated with Hepatitis C
HCV virus is spread via blood contact. Once the virus enters the body, it will create copies of itself and disrupt the cell hardware. The most common risk factor is sharing needles with an infected person. Thoroughly cleaning the needle with alcohol or any other disinfectant is futile since it does not kill the virus. Some of the risk factors associated with Hepatitis C are:

• Excessive tattooing
• Multiple sexual partners
• Alcohol abuse
• Hemophilia
• HIV AIDS
• Being jailed
• Using a hemodialysis machine for a long time
• Being born to an HCV infected mother
• If you had an organ transplanted before 1992
• Needlestick exposure

Individuals at risk can get screening or blood tests to determine whether the HCV virus is present in their bodies. Early warning signs of hepatitis C should not be ignored and treatment should be sought as soon as possible.

Hepatitis C is a debilitating disease that can last for the entirety of a person’s lifespan. However the disease is known to respond well to antiviral medication, and in most cases, can be cured. One should keep in mind the various risk factors and avoid them to decrease the chances of this virus affecting them.