Hepatitis C is a viral infection that causes inflammation of the liver. Fatigue, muscle aches, tenderness in the abdomen, jaundice, dark urine, and light-colored bowel movements are the most common characteristics. Antiviral drugs can cure hepatitis C, but there are no vaccines for the infection. Today, with advances in technology, the prognosis is excellent for those who are infected. However, it is a severe illness, and it is best to understand Hepatitis C in its entirety.

Causes of hepatitis C
The hepatitis C virus or HCV causes hepatitis C infection. There are three versions of the hepatitis viruses, A, B, and C. The viruses invade the liver causing swelling and dysfunction, and over time the inflammation can damage other organs. Hepatitis C can be acute or chronic, and even an initial acute infection can become chronic in over half of the cases.

Transmission of hepatitis C virus
Acquiring and transmitting the virus is possible in multiple ways, but the basic principle is that the hepatitis C virus spreads via contaminated bodily fluids, especially blood to blood contact. Keep in mind that the virus can be transmitted even when the symptoms of the disease are not present.

1. Blood and blood products
Even a speck of blood can carry hepatitis C virus particles. Today one of the most common modes of HCV transmission is through sharing used needles with intravenous drugs. In hospitals that are not well-sanitized and where infection protocols are not strictly in place, and where they reuse needles, the risk of spreading hepatitis C from an infected patient to a healthy one is significantly high. Hepatitis C is also associated with hemodialysis associated with end-stage kidney dialysis. Sharing items with blood, toothbrushes, or razors can also increase the risk.

2. Organ transplants
Organ transplantations that occurred before 1992 did not include screening for hepatitis C, and thus people who received blood or organs before this year are at higher risk. Additionally, when one undergoes or has undergone transplants, they are prescribed immunosuppressants that make the contraction of the virus through other means more possible and dangerous. Currently, however, HCV positive organs are available in reserve for those critically in need of transplantation.

3. Sexual contact
Sexual contact without protection is also a possible mode of transmission of hepatitis C. Sexual practices that enable blood-to-blood contact are the riskiest. Being sexually active with multiple partners also heightens the risk of hepatitis C. Sex during menstruation is also a possible mode of transmission of HCV.

4. Other modes
Mothers who have hepatitis C can transmit the virus to their children. Newborns contract hepatitis C from mothers that have measurable HCV in their blood. Breastfeeding is also a possible transmission mode for HCV infection. Unregulated tattooing also increases the risk of hepatitis C.

What does not cause the transmission of hepatitis C?
Casual contact like hugging, kissing, or sharing food does not transmit the hepatitis C virus. Coughing and sneezing do not transmit HCV since it is not an airborne illness. Sharing utensils or glasses, as well as food and water, does not transmit the infection. Pathogens like mosquitoes and insect bites also cannot carry the virus.