hepatitis c is a liver disease that is caused by infection with the hepatitis c virus a virus that lives in your liver cells. how it spreads you cannot get hepatitis c from casual contact such as hugging kissing sneezing coughing or sharing food or water with someone. you can get hepatitis c if you come into contact with the blood of someone who has hepatitis c. the most common way to get hepatitis c is by sharing needles and other equipment (such as cotton spoons and water) used to inject illegal drugs. if you are injecting drugs the best way to protect yourself is by not sharing needles or other equipment with others. many cities have needle exchange programs that provide free sterile needles so that you do not have to share needles. if you want to stop using drugs ask your doctor or someone you trust to help you get into a drug treatment program. before 1992 people could get hepatitis c through blood transfusions and organ transplants. since 1992 all donated blood and organs are screened for hepatitis c so it is now rare to get the virus this way. in rare cases a mother with hepatitis c spreads the virus to her baby at birth or a health care worker is accidentally exposed to blood that is infected with hepatitis c. experts are not sure whether you can get hepatitis c through sexual contact. if there is a risk of getting the virus through sexual contact it is very small. your risk is especially low if you are in a long-term monogamous relationship. if you live with someone who has hepatitis c or you know someone with hepatitis c you generally do not need to worry about getting the disease. you can help protect yourself by not sharing anything that may have blood on it such as razors toothbrushes and nail clippers. contagious and incubation periods the incubation period is the time it takes for symptoms to appear after the hepatitis c virus has entered your body and it is any time from 2 weeks to 6 months. anyone who has hepatitis c can spread the virus to someone else. if testing shows you have hepatitis c do not share needles. and keep cuts scrapes and blisters covered. webmd medical reference from healthwise this information is not intended to replace the advice of a doctor. healthwise disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information. © 1995-2011 healthwise incorporated. healthwise healthwise for every health decision and the healthwise logo are trademarks of healthwise incorporated.
what causes hepatitis c?