Hepatitis C is a fairly common disease and is known as the “silent killer”, silently destroying the liver over time until serious symptoms appear. Therefore, people need to find ways to prevent hepatitis C to avoid dangerous complications. To prevent hepatitis C, you need to know whether hepatitis C is contagious and what is the way hepatitis C spreads?
Cause of hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a disease caused by the hepatitis C virus. This is a single-stranded RNA virus that enters the human body through the blood and then attacks the liver. When it reaches the liver, the hepatitis C virus develops, reproduces, and destroys liver cells, causing the liver to become inflamed. Over a long period of time, if not treated promptly and properly, people with hepatitis C can experience long-term health problems, including liver damage, liver failure , cirrhosis , liver cancer and even liver cancer. even death.
Hepatitis C is a dangerous disease, claiming the lives of many people around the world. More seriously, most people infected with hepatitis C virus are not aware that they are infected so they can prevent infection to others and treat the disease promptly.
Answering the question: Is hepatitis C contagious?
Hepatitis C is a disease that can be transmitted from a patient carrying the hepatitis C virus to a healthy person. Anyone who tests positive for the hepatitis C virus is considered capable of transmitting the disease.
Patients with acute hepatitis C are often infectious one or more weeks before symptoms initially appear. For chronic hepatitis C , the timing of transmission is unknown.
Therefore, you need to clearly understand the way hepatitis C is transmitted so that you can have appropriate ways to prevent the disease for yourself and those around you.
Is hepatitis C transmitted through the respiratory tract?
Although the answer to the question “Is hepatitis C contagious?” is “Yes”, but in fact, hepatitis C is not transmitted through the respiratory tract. This means that the hepatitis C virus is not capable of being transmitted through droplets when an infected person talks, shakes hands, hugs, sneezes, coughs… Therefore, if anyone around you is infected with the hepatitis C virus, you should Don’t worry too much because the disease is not transmitted through the respiratory tract.
Is hepatitis C transmitted through saliva or food?
If you are looking for the answer to the question “Is hepatitis C transmitted through saliva?” or “Is hepatitis C transmitted through food?”, the answer will be available soon.
Currently, there is no evidence that hepatitis C virus can be transmitted through normal contact such as hugging, kissing, eating, sharing dishes, cups, towels… Therefore, if you live with or live close to someone If you have hepatitis C, you should not feel too worried or discriminated against.
Infection route of hepatitis C
Surely you no longer wonder “Is hepatitis C contagious?”. So, how is hepatitis C transmitted? According to health experts, hepatitis C is transmitted in 3 ways:
1. Hepatitis C is transmitted through blood
Of the three ways of transmitting the disease, the risk of transmitting hepatitis C virus through blood has the highest rate. There are many different ways a person can become infected with the hepatitis C virus through blood, such as:
- Receiving blood or blood products contaminated with hepatitis C virus.
- Sharing needles with someone with hepatitis C.
- Reusing or not thoroughly sterilizing medical equipment that has been used on people with hepatitis C.
- Healthcare workers exposed to specimens containing the hepatitis C virus without following the appropriate steps necessary to prevent the spread of bloodborne infections.
- Acupuncture, ear piercing, and tattooing where the tools used are not completely sterile and are contaminated with hepatitis C virus.
- Sharing personal items with a hepatitis C patient, such as blood glucose monitors, razors, nail clippers, toothbrushes, and other items that have come into contact with the patient’s blood, even if The blood stain was too small to detect.
- Organ transplantation, although currently the risk of hepatitis C virus infection from blood transfusions and organ transplants is extremely low due to thorough initial screening steps.
2. Hepatitis C is transmitted sexually
Many people often wonder whether hepatitis C is transmitted through sex? The answer is that hepatitis C can be spread through unsafe sex (without using a condom) with a person with hepatitis C, although the risk of sexual transmission is quite low. However, the report shows that the rate of hepatitis C virus infection is higher among men who have sex with men.
In couples in a long-term relationship, the risk of contracting the hepatitis C virus is very low. The risk also increases if genital ulcers are present, or if a person is infected with HIV.
3. Hepatitis C is transmitted from mother to child
Hepatitis C is also transmitted from mother to baby through the placenta during childbirth, although the infection rate is quite low (about 6%). When giving birth, the placenta is shed, so the hepatitis C virus can be transmitted through the mother’s blood to the baby, even if the mother gives birth by cesarean section or naturally. The risk of illness in the newborn is higher if the mother is infected with both HIV and hepatitis C.
Besides, the hepatitis C virus is not believed to be transmitted from mother to child through breast milk. However, mothers are recommended to express milk instead of breastfeeding directly. This is to prevent scratched mother’s nipples from transmitting disease to the baby.
In addition to finding the answer to the question of whether hepatitis C is contagious, you need to know that hepatitis C is a dangerous silent disease, causing liver damage and leading to many serious complications. Preventing hepatitis C is necessary to protect the health of yourself and those around you. Hopefully the information in the above article has helped you know whether hepatitis C is contagious and the ways the hepatitis C virus spreads, thereby effectively preventing the disease.
