Hepatitis C is a common disease among people, but very few people may realize that they are suffering from it because its symptoms are very few. It is an infectious ailment caused by the Hepatitis C virus, and it affects mostly the liver by inflaming it. Once the liver is inflamed, some of its primary functions are affected.

In the United States, around 2,967 cases of hepatitis C were reported to Center for Disease Control, but because most people do not know whether they are infected, the number of the infected people could be higher by an enormous margin. Hepatitis C shows very few symptoms which may include fatigue, nausea, decreased appetite, stomach pain, and jaundice. The fact that the disease shows very few signs makes people suffer from it unknowingly and therefore once you suspect that you are having some symptoms connected to it, you should visit the physician for a diagnosis.

How Is Hepatitis C Transmitted?

Can you get hepatitis c from saliva is a common question among people, but the good news is that the primary mode of transmission of Hepatitis C is exposure to blood infected with hepatitis c virus but not saliva. Therefore the disease is bloodborne and hence, any activity that leads to contacting infected person blood have the capability of transmitting the virus. Some of the standard ways of transmission are discussed below:

1. Unprotected sex

The fact that the virus has the potential of being transmitted from person to the other through blood or body fluids such as mucus, saliva makes unprotected sex one of the ways of transmission. It may be transferred when you engage in unprotected sex with an infected person, although the risk of contracting hepatitis c through sex is very low. The risk of contracting the disease through sex increases on cases of men having sex with men or in cases where genital area have sores form sexually transmitted infections or if one of the partners is HIV positive. The best way of remaining safe from being infected is through sexual protection by using a male or a female condom. Amongst those who are in a long-term relationship, the risk is very low, but they had better also use a condom, but if your partner tests hepatitis c positive, you should be tested as well.

2. Blood transfusion

If blood donated for transfusion is not adequately screened for the presence of hepatitis c virus, or if inactivation procedures meant to destroy viruses in blood are not followed, hepatitis c can be transmitted. With modern advances in health care, the likelihood of contracting the infection during blood transfusion is almost negligible because blood is screened correctly and inactivation procedures to destroy viruses before transfusion are taken. The use of unsterilized medical instruments during dental or any other treatment has the potential of passing hepatitis c to you because the virus that carries this disease can survive on the small traces of blood on the equipment.

3. Household transmission

The risk of transmission of hepatitis C amongst people in a family setting is not common. Though it has been witnessed, its prevalence is very low. Sharing items such as toothbrushes, razor blades and needles have the potential of passing the virus from one person to the other because infected blood can contaminate the items. It is advisable to take precautions such as not sharing personal items that can get contaminated with blood and cover wounds and sores.

4. Healthcare setting exposures

Exposure to infected blood, while a health worker is executing her duties, has the potential of transmitting hepatitis C. It is also possible for a patient to get infected with hepatitis C if the health workers use unsterilized instruments during the various medical procedures such as surgery. To safeguard patients and healthcare workers from being infected, standard healthcare precautions should be adopted in a health institution. Some of the precautions necessary in preventing transmission in the hospitals include the use of gloves while cleaning blood spills and disinfecting all the places with blood spills. Open wounds should be covered well with waterproof dressings, and any blood-stained tissues should be placed in a leak-proof waste bin for disposal.

5. Injection drugs

There is a risk of contracting hepatitis C if the doctor injects the drug into you using an infected needle. Transmission through the use of shared injecting equipment has one of the reasons people got infected with the disease years ago according to research conducted in Australia. The best way of avoiding infection is by using an unused syringe and then throws it away in a disposal bin.

Hepatitis C Treatment

Everyone who is at high risk of being exposed to hepatitis C should visit a health center and have a blood test. People at high risk of exposure include those that used to inject themselves with drugs, babies born of mothers who are hepatitis C positive, people with liver problems whose cause is unidentified, people living with HIV and those that have ever served a jail term. If you test positive of hepatitis C virus, you need to be careful but it is curable either through the administration of medicine or liver transplant in a case where it has inflamed it beyond repair.

• Medication

There are various medications used in the treatment of hepatitis C. In the past, the drugs used were mainly a combination of ribavirin and interferon which helped boost the immune system. Once the immune system is strengthened, it would be in a position of fighting and killing germs. Currently, some antivirals fight the virus directly. Some examples of drugs that help in the treatment of hepatitis C include mavyret and Spanier. The mentioned drugs act as protease inhibitors which means that they block viruses from getting proteins causing them to die because they cannot reproduce without protein.

• Liver Transplant

In a case where you have contracted chronic hepatitis C, liver cancer and failure might result which can only be rectified by a transplant. The liver transplant involves the removal of the damaged liver and replacing it with a healthy one. It is worth noting that a liver transplant doesn't keep you free from future infection because the virus from the bloodstream may still infect the new liver. It is therefore important to ensure that the disease is treated before the transplant.

Hepatitis C is a viral disease which can break down your good health because it inflames the liver, one of the most critical parts of the body. Now that we have answered the question "how is hep c transmitted?", It is essential to ensure that you take caution not to get infected. However, if you have already contracted the disease or if you think you might have it, it is high time you should seek medical advice before it wrecks your liver.