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Are You at Risk of Hepatitis C?

Date: 07/13/22

Hepatitis C (Hep C or HCV) is a virus spread from one person to another through contact with blood of an infected person. It is the most common blood-borne disease in the United States. Hep C causes the liver to become inflamed. The virus causes permanent damage leading to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. Infection with the Hep C virus is the leading reason for liver transplant in the United States.

Although there is no vaccine for Hep C, there is a new, safe and effective treatment that can cure 95% of persons living with the virus. Treatment is usually one pill a day for a few months. As a Louisiana Healthcare Connections member, your Hep C treatment is covered at no cost to you!

It is important to remember that even if you are cured, you can get infected again. Unlike hepatitis a and b, there is no vaccine to prevent Hep C.

Am I at risk of Hep C?

Risk includes:

  • Sharing needles and other drug injection equipment (like cookers and cotton)
  • Have ever gotten a tattoo or piercing in a non-professional setting where equipment such as ink, inkwells or needles are re-used and potentially unsterilized.
  • Sharing objects that may contain traces of blood, like snorting straws, toothbrushes, razors, or manicure products
  • Sexual activities that involve blood, such as anal sex or rough, unlubricated vaginal sex
  • Have had multiple sexual partners, or sexual contact with an Hep C-positive person Perinatal, from mother to baby at birth
  • Were born between 1945 and 1965 (Baby Boomer).
  • Received donated blood or organs before 1992.
  • Are on dialysis

Remember: Hep C can remain infectious in blood outside of the body for several days or weeks.

What are the symptoms of Hep C?

Most people do not show symptoms, which is why people can go decades without knowing they are living with Hep C. That is why it is important to talk with your doctor and get tested if you are at risk of Hep C.

Potential symptoms of Hep C include:

  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Poor appetite
  • Fever
  • Vomiting
  • Joint pain
  • Hives or rash

To learn more about Hep C visit the Louisiana Department of Health's Hepatitis C webpage. To get connected to treatment visit the Louisiana Health Hub's testing and treatment webpage or to see a map of treatment locations near you visit the Louisiana Department of Health's Hepatitis treatment center locations map webpage.