there are several ways to get infected with hepatitis c: sharing needles for injection drug use. accidentally getting pricked by a needle contaminated by infected blood. this sometimes happens to hospital workers. being born to a mother with hepatitis c infection. getting a blood transfusion from someone with hepatitis c infection. before 1992 blood could not be tested for hepatitis c. since 1992 all blood donated in the u. s. gets tested for the virus. if you had a blood transfusion or organ transplant before june 1992 ask your doctor about being tested for hepatitis c. some people on kidney dialysis have gotten hepatitis c from contamination of the equipment. it's possible to get hepatitis c from someone you live with if you share items such as razors or a toothbrush that might have had his or her blood on them. a person can get hepatitis c from getting a tattoo or body piercing with dirty tools. rarely a person can get hepatitis c from having unprotected sex with an infected person. this is more likely to happen if the infected person also has another sexually transmitted disease.
how do you get hepatitis c?