 [ Symptoms ] how do you get hepatitis c [ Disease ] 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 is 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