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Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C (HCV) is an infection of the liver caused by a virus. It's much easier to get than HIV, and can cause permanent liver disease and cancer. Most people have no obvious symptoms, and there is no known cure.

Signs and symptoms
There may be no symptoms at all.
But if there are they may include:
A short, flu-like illness
Fatigue (tiredness and feeling weak)
Nausea and vomiting (feeling and being sick)
Diarrhoea
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Itchy skin
Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes) in a small number of cases

How do you get it?
By sharing contaminated needles or other equipment for injecting drugs.
By using equipment for tattooing, acupuncture or body piercing that hasn't been sterilised or cleaned properly.
By unprotected penetrative sex (where the penis enters the vagina or anus) or sex which draws blood — this is relatively rare but possible.
Between 1-5% of infected mothers may pass it on to their child during pregnancy or at birth.
Through blood transfusion in a country where blood is not tested for HCV — all blood for transfusion in the UK is tested.
Less commonly by oral sex (from mouth to the genitals).

Always wear a condom and avoid sharing toothbrushes, razors, or needles as Hepatitis C can be passed on this way.

Testing and treatment
A doctor or nurse will give you a blood test. to see whether you have the virus. About 1 in 5 people manage to clear the virus from their blood. The others remain infected and after a number of years they could develop serious liver disease.

In the last couple of years a treatment has become available but it is often not very successful.