Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a disease that affects the liver. It is caused by a virus called the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The virus enters the body via infected blood or other bodily fluids through unsafe sex, the use of contaminated needles or medical equipment, or from unscreened blood transfusions.
Symptoms
This virus can cause acute and chronic infection. Most people who are infected do not experience any symptoms or have any signs of infection but, if they do occur these can include:
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tiredness
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loss of appetite
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abdominal pain
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nauseas
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vomiting
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fever
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jaundice
For some people hepatitis C will be short term infection from which they make a full recovery. However, many people can be chronically infected for many years without any symptoms with the virus slowly causing damage to the liver which can go unnoticed for a long time until the damage is extensive.
Risk for people
Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver cancer. Without treatment, up to 30% of people with chronic hepatitis C develop liver damage in the form of cirrhosis, and some of them may develop liver cancer.
Anyone can get hepatitis C, but the main groups at risk are people who inject drugs or those who have had unprotected sex with an infected person. Some individuals may have been exposed as a result of receiving unscreened blood or blood products in the past.
How it spreads
Hepatitis C is spread through contact with blood and other body fluids from an infected person. In Europe, the most common current mode of transmission is through injecting drug use with the sharing of contaminated needles or injecting equipment. Less commonly, it is spread through unprotected sexual contact with an infected person.
Vaccination and treatment
There is currently no vaccine to protect against hepatitis C, but antiviral treatment is highly effective, widely available and can cure more than 95% of infected people.
Protective measures
Protective measures include:
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harm-reduction programs for people who inject drugs, including needle exchange programmes and opioid substitution treatment
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safe sexual practices
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blood safety strategies
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testing of at-risk individuals to diagnose individuals with hepatitis C infection and link these individuals to care for antiviral treatment
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maintaining high levels of hygiene and sterilisation in health care facilities as well as tattoo, piercing and acupuncture centres