How Do People Get Hep C?
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread through contact with infected blood. Common routes of infection include illicit injection drugs (eg, sharing needles), blood transfusions (before 1992), needlestick accidents among healthcare workers, and any other blood-to-blood contact, such as may occur during sexual activity. Each of these routes of transmission is discussed in further detail below. Because hep C is often not detected for many years after infection, it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact event that caused your infection. Read Patient Stories for more about the variety of experiences people have with hep C diagnosis and treatment. If you don’t know how you got hep C, you’re not alone. About 30% of people with chronic hepatitis do not know how they contracted the virus. You may not remember having a medical procedure or some other event that might have been related to the infection. Infections may have been caused by unnoticed or forgotten exposure from cuts or wounds. Researc
