How Hepatitis C Is Caught And Passed On
Most HCV infections come from blood to blood transmission.
- This is when HCV infected blood directly enters another persons bloodstream. Saliva and tears are not infectious.
- Semen and genital fluids may be infectious but there is less research on this.
- As with HIV, you cannot transmit or catch HCV by touching, kissing, hugging, or from sharing cutlery, cups or dishes.
- Unlike HIV, which dies in a few minutes outside the body, HCV remains infectious for at least a day even after blood has dried, and in some circumstances, perhaps for a week or longer. This is why you should not share items that may contain even tiny traces of blood.
What Are The Odds Of Contracting Hep C Sexually
The odds are pretty low. But your risk level depends on your situation.
One 2012 study on 500 straight, monogamous couples found that the rate of hep C transmission through sex was just 0.07 percent per year.
The CDC and WHO both point out that men who have sex with other men may have a higher risk of contracting hep C, but neither have exact data on the odds.
Basically, if you have anal or rough sex, sex with people who use or misuse intravenous substances, or if you have multiple partners, your chances of contracting hep C may go up. The chances are still low, but with all the other STIs out there, its a good idea to have sex with a barrier method.
A Closer Look At Hepatitis Transmission
Here’s a more detailed look at how different types of hepatitis are transmitted:
- Hepatitis A is transmitted by contaminated food and water and is thus fecal-oral.
- Hepatitis B is transmitted by blood, needles, and sex. Hepatitis B can also be passed along during delivery from a mother to her newborn.
- Hepatitis C is transmitted by needles and blood.
- Hepatitis E is transmitted by means of contaminated water. Like hepatitis A, hepatitis E is fecal-oral.
Like B and C, type D transmits to a person who already has hepatitis B and spreads by blood, needles, and sex. Hepatitis D can transmit during delivery from a mother to her newborn, but this is rare.
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More Ways To Reduce The Risk Of Infection
If you arent sure whether you have hepatitis C, get tested. Testing is especially important if you have sex with more than one person or if you have other risk factors for hepatitis C, including being born being 1945 and 1965, having had a blood transfusion prior to 1992, and injecting drugs .
Talk to your partner about getting tested as well, for hepatitis C and other STDs, so you know the risks before having sex. People who are at risk for hepatitis C are also at risk for HIV and other STDs, emphasizes Talal.
Activities That Cannot Pass Hepatitis C
- Casual contact: Hepatitis C is not passed through casual contact with a person living with hepatitis C, including sharing toilets, drinking glasses and eating utensils.
- Hugging, kissing or touching a person living with hepatitis C
- Following harm reduction principles: Using sterile, unused drug use equipment for injecting, snorting or smoking drugs and using new and sterile tattoo and piercing equipment prevents hepatitis C from being passed.
- Using new or sterilized medical equipment during medical procedures
Many of the activities that increase a persons chances of getting hepatitis C are similar to those associated with HIV, and therefore many of the steps to prevent hepatitis C also apply to preventing HIV. See Prevention & Harm Reduction for more information on how to reduce the chances of hepatitis C transmission.
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Can Hepatitis B Positive Change Negative
Your test results may not mean you have a problem. Ask your healthcare provider what your test results mean for you. Normal results are negative or nonreactive, meaning that no hepatitis B surface antigen was found. If your test is positive or reactive, it may mean you are actively infected with HBV.
Hepatitis C Treatment And Cure
Hepatitis C can be cured! Today, treatment cures more than 95% of people with hepatitis C. The best way to prevent worsening liver health and complications of cirrhosis is to get treated and cured of hepatitis C.
Everyone with hepatitis C should speak with their healthcare provider about their treatment options. For more information, see Hepatitis C treatment.
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Duration Of Hepatitis A
For the majority of people, symptoms of hepatitis A last less than two months. In about 10 to 15 percent of people, the symptoms of HAV can last up to six months.
People are most contagious soon after they get the infection, one to two weeks before symptoms appear. Healthy adults are no longer contagious two weeks after the illness begins, while children and people who have weak immune systems can remain contagious for up to six months, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
After a person has HAV and recovers, they can never get the infection again they are immune for life.
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Encouraging Others To Get Tested For Hepatitis C
While the odds of passing on the hepatitis C virus are low, you should still tell anyone at risk that you have hepatitis C. You should tell sexual partners, spouses, and family members. Your infection may be difficult to discuss, but anyone at potential risk must know. That way, they can get tested and treated if needed. Read more on why you should get tested for hepatitis C.
Show Sources
Paul Berk, MD, professor of medicine and emeritus chief of the division of liver disease, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City chairman of the board, American Liver Foundation.
Alan Franciscus, executive director, Hepatitis C Support Project and editor-in-chief of HCV Advocate, San Francisco.
Thelma King Thiel, chair and CEO, Hepatitis Foundation International.
David Thomas, MD, professor of medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore.
Howard J. Worman, MD, associate professor of medicine and anatomy and cell biology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York City.
The American Gastroenterological Association.
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Unregulated Tattoos And Body Piercings
Tattoos and body piercings use needles that pierce through your skin. Each piercing brings more opportunities for the needle to come in contact with infected blood. If you get a tattoo or body piercing using the same needle that’s been exposed to infected blood, it puts you at greater risk of contracting hepatitis C.
Can You Get Hepatitis From Saliva
People with chronic Hepatitis C are advised not to share toothbrushes, razors, nail clippers or other personal articles that may have potentially been in contact with their blood.
While there is very little emphasis on saliva as a vehicle of Hepatitis C transmission, under the right circumstances there is some evidence to the contrary:
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What Are The Chances Of Getting Hepatitis C From Sex
Hepatitis C can spread through sexual intercourse, but it’s rare. And it’s extremely rare among monogamous couples. In fact, the CDC considers the risk of sexual transmission between monogamous couples so low that it doesn’t even recommend using condoms. Also, there’s no evidence that hepatitis C is spread by oral sex. But you should avoid sharing razors, toothbrushes, and nail clippers, and sex during menstruation.
If you have HIV or if you have multiple partners, you should take precautions. Using condoms will protect you and your partners.
Sharing Toothbrushes Scissors And Razors
There’s a potential risk that hepatitis C may be passed on through sharing items such as toothbrushes, razors and scissors, as they can become contaminated with infected blood.
Equipment used by hairdressers, such as scissors and clippers, can pose a risk if it has been contaminated with infected blood and not sterilised or cleaned between customers. However, most salons operate to high standards, so this risk is low.
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Which Hepatitis Is An Std
Hepatitis A, B, and C can be sexually transmitted.
- Hepatitis A: Although the fecal-oral route is common for hepatitis A, the virus can also be transmitted from any sexual activity. The use of condoms does not effectively prevent the spread of hepatitis A.
- Hepatitis B: Sexual contact is the most common mode of Hepatitis B transmission in the United States. Compared to HIV, a hepatitis B infection is 50 to 100 times more likely to be transmitted sexually. The transmission risk is higher among unvaccinated people with risk behaviors like having multiple sex partners and men having sex with men .
- Hepatitis C: The Hepatitis C virus may be transmitted via sexual contact. However, studies have shown that such transmission is very rare. A higher rate of sexual transmission of the hepatitis C infection is seen in MSM, especially those who practice unprotected anal intercourse and have an infection with the human immunodeficiency virus .
Activities That Present A Very Low Risk Of Hepatitis C Transmission:
- Saliva transfer Sharing a toothbrush or open-mouth kissing facilitates the sharing of saliva. The likelihood of transmitting Hepatitis C through saliva is very rare, but microscopic bits of blood can present a small risk.
- Sharing certain personal hygiene items The likelihood of transmitting Hepatitis C within your household is very low, but it is possible if personal hygiene items are shared. Anything that could be contaminated with blood, like toothbrushes, razors, cuticle scissors, and nail clippers have the potential to be a contagion vehicle.
- Can hepatitis c be transmitted through sex? Although sex will often find itself on a list of potential routes for Hepatitis C transmission, this is extremely rare. Factors increasing the risk of sexual transmission of Hepatitis C include co-infection with HIV, sexual techniques that damage mucosa, acute Hepatitis C infection, high Hepatitis C viral load, and those with multiple sexual partners. There is also a small a risk of transmitting Hepatitis C via oral sex when there is any blood or breaks in the affected skin. Every single potential scenario of how Hepatitis C can be transmitted may not be covered in the examples listed above. This is because there are many possible ways for infected blood to make contact with someones bloodstream.
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Can People With Hep C Be Blood Donors
You are ruled out as a blood donor if you have had hepatitis C, even if you have no symptoms. All blood donations in the U.S. are tested for hepatitis C antibodies, which will indicate whether the person has had HCV in the past. This is essential to prevent the transmission of HCV to the blood recipients.
How Are Stds From Kissing Treated
Well, that depends upon the type of STI you may be carrying.
For instance, if you are suffering from HSV-1 or HSV-2, then your doctor may prescribe you medications, like valacyclovir, acyclovir, or famciclovir.
However, these medications can only reduce the frequency of the symptoms, not cure the infection itself, as per the World Health Organization .
For CMV, healthy adults don’t need any treatment, since the virus usually goes away on its own, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . But if you have a weak immune system, your doctor may recommend you take antiviral medications, including valganciclovir.
Syphilis can be treated with penicillin, as per CDC. However, if you are at a later stage of syphilis, more than one shot of penicillin might be required.
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Why It’s Important To Get Tested
Because hepatitis C is a highly infectious virus, the CDC recommends that adults 18 years or older get tested for hepatitis C at least once in their lifetime. This is also true for pregnant people during each pregnancy.
To test whether you have a hepatitis C infection, your healthcare provider will perform a hepatitis C antibody test to determine whether you have antibodies that were created in response to the infection.
If your test is positive, your healthcare provider will also perform a hepatitis C RNA test, which accurately determines whether you have a current infection.
Once it is determined you have an HCV infection, your healthcare provider will recommend the best course of treatment. For most people, treatment with antiviral drugs will be started. There are effective treatments that can cure HCV and prevent liver damage.
Transmission Of Hepatitis C Virus By Saliva
C Scully
Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, and International Centres for Excellence in Dentistry, UCL-University of London, UK
C Scully
Eastman Dental Institute for Oral Health Care Sciences, and International Centres for Excellence in Dentistry, UCL-University of London, UK
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Can Hepatitis C Be Spread During Vaginal Sex
Its rare for the hepatitis C virus to be transmitted through vaginal intercourse. Unless the vaginal walls arent lubricated or intercourse is very rough and leads to tears in the vaginal wall, theres no opportunity for blood to be exchanged. The risk for transmission with vaginal intercourse is about 1 in 190,000, according to research published in the March 2013 issue of the journal Hepatology.
Research published in the Journal of Coagulation Disorders in March 2014 reinforces these findings, emphasizing that transmission of the hepatitis C virus by sex in monogamous heterosexual couples is rare. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that couples in monogamous heterosexual relationships do not need to use condoms routinely, even if one partner has hepatitis C. Concerned couples, however, can discuss using a condom to lower the already very low risk of spreading the virus, says Talal.
Just how safe sex is when a partner has hepatitis C hinges on some other factors as well. For example, its important to use a new condom with each sexual act that has the potential to expose the uninfected partner to the infected persons blood, even if youre in a committed relationship, says the CDC. Some of these situations include sex when you or your partner:
- Has an open cut or sore
- Has another sexually transmitted infection , especially one that causes sores or lesions
- Is having her menstrual period
Fact : Hcv Usually Has No Symptoms
One important aspect to keep in mind with HCV is that it can be in your system for a long time without becoming active, Dr. Diaz says, and often people who are diagnosed are unsure how they got infected. Thats because symptoms are rarethats a big part of why it can spread so easily. Because of that, consider getting tested as part of a regular checkup, especially if youre in a high-risk group and/or youre a Boomer.
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Can You Get Hepatitis From Kissing
All possibilities must be considered in trying to determine how unknown sources of Hepatitis C infection took place. Although Hepatitis C has been detected in saliva, the necessary conditions render it unlikelybut not impossibleto be transmitted by kissing or through the sharing of a toothbrush.
Before anybody panics about these potential risks, remember that there are conditions accompanying these possible modes of transmission:
- The person with the virus must have a viral load over one million.
- Both parties involved have gum disease.
While experts view the risk of transmitting this disease through saliva as extremely low, it is recommended to maintain good oral hygiene, and toothbrushes be used solely by their owners.
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What Diseases Can Be Transmitted Through Kissing
Kissing has lots of health benefits still, it can be a medium for transmission of some diseases. When one person comes in contact with other through kissing, then a number of germs present in saliva or blood from cut sores in the mouth can spread from one to another. These exchanges of saliva are more likely to spread some diseases in another. These germs can be viruses and bacteria that invade your body through kissing and you may catch few diseases.
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