Are HBV and HCV spread the same way?
Hepatitis B is a bloodborne pathogen found in blood, semen, vaginal discharge, breast milk, and saliva. This doesn’t mean it’s transmitted via saliva (unless an infected person bites someone deeply enough to draw blood). The most common ways it’s spread are sexual contact, then via contaminated needles. It can also be spread through items like razors and toothbrushes if they’re contaminated with body fluids or blood. Hepatitis C is also bloodborne pathogen. It is only transmitted through blood or through activities that cause infected blood to enter your body via nonintact skin. (This does include sharing a cocaine straw with someone.) Some sources say it can be transmitted sexually; some say it cannot. I have known one person who said she contracted HCV via sex, and another who stated she contracted it through sharing a razor with a parent. One really big key difference? There’s a vaccine for HBV. There isn’t one for HCV. The Mayo Clinic website
