Hepatitis C is primarily spread through contact with the blood of an infected person. The most common ways that hepatitis C is spread include:
It’s important to note that hepatitis C is not spread through casual contact such as hugging, sharing food or drinks, or using the same restrooms. It is important to test for Hepatitis C and get medical treatment if needed to prevent the virus from progressing to chronic infection.
Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication taken daily that can help prevent the contraction of HIV. It works by blocking the virus from entering and infecting cells in the body. When taken as prescribed, PrEP is highly effective at preventing HIV.
While missing doses of PrEP can decrease its effectiveness in preventing HIV infection, it still has some level of protection. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that even if someone misses several doses, the medication still provides some level of protection against HIV.
It’s important to note that if you miss doses of PrEP or stop taking it altogether, your risk of contracting HIV increases. For maximum protection, it’s recommended to take PrEP consistently and as prescribed. To ensure that you continue to receive the protection you need, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider about strategies to help you stay on track with your PrEP regimen. At LifeLine Health, we can help.
It’s also worth to note that taking PrEP alone may not protect against other sexually transmitted infections and other protective measures such as regular testing, barrier methods, and practicing safer sex should be used in conjunction with PrEP.
There are several ways to prevent the contraction and spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs):
1. Abstinence: Avoiding sexual contact altogether is the most effective way to prevent STDs. 2. Condom use: Consistently and correctly using condoms during sexual activity can greatly reduce the risk of contracting STDs. 3. Regular testing: Getting tested for STDs on a regular basis and discussing your sexual health with your partner(s) is important to ensure early detection and treatment. 4. Vaccinations: Getting vaccinated for certain STDs such as HPV and Hepatitis B can help prevent their contraction. 5. Limiting the number of sexual partners: Having fewer sexual partners decreases the risk of contracting an STD. 6. PrEP: for HIV, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication taken daily that can help prevent the contraction of HIV 7. PEP: for HIV, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a medication that can be taken after possible exposure to HIV to prevent infection. 8. Get treated if you do have an STD. Many STDs can be treated and cured, which helps prevent their spread.
It’s important to remember that STDs can have serious long-term health consequences if left untreated, and it’s important to take steps to protect yourself and your partners. If you have any concerns or questions about your sexual health, please contact LifeLine Health today.
Approximately 3.2 million people in the United States have hepatitis C; and about 75% of those people are unaware that they carry the disease. People born between 1945 and 1965 are most at risk. Many people have no symptoms for numerous years. When symptoms develop, they are usually fatigue, nausea, achiness, abdominal pain, or flu-like symptoms. But unlike the flu, hepatitis C is not contagious.
Hepatitis C is a condition that can cause people to feel tired, have dark urine, experience clay-colored stools, feel nauseous, and develop jaundice. Many people with hepatitis C have no symptoms at all, making it hard to detect this virus, which is spread by an uninfected person encountering an infected person’s blood in a way that it enters their bloodstream. Asymptomatic people can spread the disease to others.
Hepatitis A, B, and C are viral infections that damage the liver, but they have different modes of transmission and different symptoms. Hepatitis A is often caused by contacting contaminated food or drink. It can be transmitted through close contact with an infected person. Hepatitis B is contracted by encountering infected blood, semen, or vaginal fluids. It is often spread through unprotected sex, sharing needles, from mother to child at birth, and through transfusions or organ transplants. Hepatitis C is usually spread through blood-to-blood contact. Contaminated needles are often the way that it spreads. Hepatitis D, also called delta hepatitis, is a satellite virus that can only affect those already infected with hepatitis B. Hepatitis E is usually transmitted by having contact with contaminated food or drink along with poor sanitation.
Hepatitis C is not contagious. Therefore, you cannot get it simply by being around those with the condition. Instead, you must come into contact with their blood. This can happen in several ways
The most common way that Hepatitis C is spread is by sharing needles. When an individual uses a needle to inject drugs or other substances, a small amount of blood may remain on that needle. Then, when others use the same needle, they can become infected with Hepatitis C. The virus can live outside the body for up to six weeks at room temperature. Therefore, the blood on the needle does not have to be fresh for a person to get Hepatitis C.
It’s possible to get Hepatitis C while having unprotected sex that involves contact with the blood of an infected partner. Some sexual practices are more likely than others to transmit hepatitis C because they are more likely to result in blood contact.
If the person you are having sex with has cuts or lesions around their genitals, transmission is more likely. This can particularly be the case if the person has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). It is also likelier to occur during anal sex because the lining of the anus tears easily. Transmission is more likely to occur while a woman is menstruating, too. People who limit their sexual contact to one or two people are less likely to get hepatitis C through sex than those who have more partners.
Women who have a high level of hepatitis C in their bloodstream have a higher risk of giving birth to a child that tests positive for hepatitis C, but doctors are not exactly sure how and when the mother passes the virus to her offspring. Doctors believe that as the fetus passes through the birth canal, it can become infected with the virus by encountering the infected mother’s blood. The virus may enter the fetus’s body through their mucous membranes. If the doctor uses vacuum extractors or forceps during the delivery, the risk of infecting the newborn rises.
Mothers can also pass hepatitis C to their offspring while breastfeeding. While the milk does not contain the virus, if the woman’s breast bleeds, then the baby may come in contact with the blood and get hepatitis C.
If you have a crack or wound on your body, be sure to cover it. Anytime you come into contact with blood from an infected person, hepatitis C can enter your bloodstream. Since the hepatitis C virus can live at room temperature for up to six weeks, it is also important to regularly clean surfaces that may have blood on them. Healthcare workers are at a slightly higher risk of getting hepatitis C than the general population because of the nature of their jobs.
Many common items around your home may get blood on them. Therefore, everyone must have their own personal care items and use only those that belong to them. This includes any item that might come into contact with a person’s blood. Someone might have accidentally cut themselves while shaving with their razor, or a person’s gums might have bled onto their toothbrush while they were brushing their teeth. These are just a couple of things you need to avoid.
If you get a tattoo or piercing, make sure the person doing the work uses a sterilized needle. If there is even one drop of infected blood on the needle, then you run a risk of getting hepatitis C from the procedure because the needle creates a pathway for the virus to enter your body. Also, you should never use a needle or other unsterilized instrument to try to pierce your body at home. You don’t know that needle’s history, and even one drop of blood on it can introduce hepatitis C to your body.
Blood transfusions performed after 1996 in the U.S. are safe because the blood is thoroughly tested for hepatitis C before being given to you. First, the blood is tested using a hepatitis C antibody test. If the results are positive, the person has been exposed to the virus. A negative test result means that no presence of hepatitis C has been detected in the sample. A nuclear acid test is performed for blood samples with positive results to determine if the blood has the virus in it. In the U.S., regardless of the results of the second test, the donation is usually not used for transfusion once the first test is positive. If you need or choose to have medical procedures done in other countries, they may have a different set of guidelines, and you may catch hepatitis C from a blood donation.
Specific medical conditions put you at a higher risk for hepatitis C. Doctors often recommend that high-risk people get an alanine aminotransferase test. While unusually high levels of this enzyme in the body can be an indicator of hepatitis C, it can also indicate that the person has cirrhosis, mononucleosis, or another liver disease. Elevated levels can indicate issues with the heart or pancreas as well.
Hepatitis C is not spread through casual contact. Therefore, you can hug and visit with a person who has hepatitis C without worrying about getting the hepatitis C virus. There is no increased risk of getting the virus if you share food or drinks prepared by someone who has hepatitis C or use the same restroom they do.
Many people live very productive lives while having hepatitis C. People should follow their medical doctor’s advice if they have this virus. The physician may recommend that the patient not take any medications that may do further damage to their liver, such as acetaminophen. In general, people with hepatitis C can work at any job. If they have caught hepatitis C through sharing needles, then drug treatment may be recommended. In addition, many doctors advise people with hepatitis C not to consume alcohol, as it can damage the liver.
If a person has just been infected with hepatitis C, they may not know it for several weeks. Even if the disease is found, as long as the person remains asymptomatic, doctors may not recommend any treatment. Once symptoms appear, the doctor may prescribe several different types of medications. There are six strains of hepatitis C, so doctors must create tailored treatment plans.
Most doctors will prescribe patients a four-to-eight-week course of direct-acting antiviral medications. These drugs, including Telaprevir, Boceprevir, Grazoprevir, Elbasvir, and Sofosbuvir, are effective in curing hepatitis C about 60% of the time. A cure for hepatitis C is defined as no detectable virus in the blood three to six months after treatment ends.
The exact medications that your doctor prescribes will depend on the type of hepatitis C you have because of your genotype. Generally, different regions worldwide have different genotypes. Genotype 1 is the most prevalent in the United States. Doctors usually treat it with a regimen of interferon and Ribavirin complex. Genotype 2 is also seen in the United States and is usually treated with Sofosbuvir.
Patients will want to consider treatment because it stops the damage the virus can do to the liver. If left untreated, hepatitis C can cause the liver to become inflamed. Over time, this can cause fibrosis, in which healthy tissue is replaced by scar tissue. Then, cirrhosis may occur, causing the liver to stop functioning properly. Cirrhosis is a major risk factor in developing liver cancer. Doctors see a high success rate of curing hepatitis C with antiviral medications, and there are minimal side effects.
Hepatitis C requires blood-to-blood contact, so it is not contagious through casual contact. Especially since the virus can live a long time at room temperature, it is vital not to share items that might have blood on them with other people. You should also ensure that places like tattoo parlors are sanitizing their equipment.
If you still get hepatitis C, then remember that treatment is available. LifeLine Health in Plant City, Florida, offers Hepatitis C treatment. The success rate is high and has very few side effects. If you do have hepatitis C, contact us to discuss your treatment options.
I am thankful to the nice people at Lifeline Health. I was so scared when I found out I had been exposed. They guided me and made me feel so at ease. I have not had an issues and I know it's because I went to Lifeline Health first.
Thankfully there are places like Lifeline Health to get tested. This place is lowering the risk for our community by educating us and providing the resources to stay healthy. They are making positive changes in the community.
Connect with a Lifeline Health staff member in-person at your local health center to receive the care you need. You can conveniently make an appointment online to get started.
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