Is Hep C Something New?
Yes. Hepatitis C, like HIV, was only identified fairly recently. In the mid-1970s, scientists discovered that many post-transfusion cases of hepatitis were not due to either hepatitis A or hepatitis B. But it wasn’t until 1989 that this “non-A, non-B hepatitis” was identified and re-named “hepatitis C virus.” How Do You Get It? The ways that you get hep C are similar to the ways you get HIV, which may be why so many people are infected with both diseases. It is spread through blood-to-blood exposure. In developing countries (as in the U.S. before blood screening), the primary transmission is by blood transfusion. In the U.S. today, it is most commonly spread through drug injection and unsafe sex. Like HIV, it is not spread through casual contact with other people. What Does It Do to You? Chronic Hepatitis C can result in cirrhosis of the liver (fibrotic scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. How Does It Progress? The first six months after infection are called “acute hepatitis C.” Mo
