Indians Immigrate To Canada In Record Numbers
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that ranges in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness that attacks the liver. It results from infection with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person.
Who’s at risk?
Some people are at increased risk for Hepatitis C, including:
– Current injection drug users
– Past injection drug users, including those who injected only one time or many years ago
– Recipients of donated blood, blood products, and organs
– Hemodialysis patients or persons who spent many years on dialysis for kidney failure
– People who received body piercing or tattoos done with non-sterile instruments
– People with known exposures to the Hepatitis C virus, such as:
– Health care workers injured by needlesticks
– Recipients of blood or organs from a donor who tested positive for the Hepatitis C virus
– HIV-infected persons
– Children born to mothers infected with the Hepatitis C virus
Less common risks include:
– Having sexual contact with a person who is infected with the Hepatitis C virus
– Sharing personal care items, such as razors or toothbrushes, that may have come in contact with the blood of an infected person
Risk of a pregnant woman passing Hepatitis C to her baby
Hepatitis C is rarely passed from a pregnant woman to her baby. About 4 of every 100 infants born to mothers with Hepatitis C become infected with the virus. However, the risk becomes greater if the mother has both HIV infection and Hepatitis C.
How long does the Hepatitis C virus survive outside the body?
The Hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature, on environmental surfaces, for at least 16 hours but no longer than 4 days. Hepatitis C virus is not spread by sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. It is also not spread through food or water.
