Hepatitis C is a pathology that leads to significant lesions of liver tissue and a variety of different complications. Most often the disease is diagnosed at a young age - in people from twenty to forty years. Moreover, contrary to popular belief, people living in a safe environment, and not just homeless people and drug addicts, can get sick. The causative agent of the infection is a virus that is prone to permanent mutations and mutations, which allows it to stay in the human body for a long time and exert high loads on the immune system.
Features of the disease
The insidiousness of this disease lies also in the fact that it can proceed practically asymptomatically. That is why the acute form of hepatitis C is diagnosed in exceptional cases, more often a person has a chronic lesion of hepatic tissue, which he did not even suspect. Therefore, for each of us it is important to know how chronic viral hepatitis C is transmitted, what path can be infected. Moreover, it should be noted that infection can occur from both a sick person and an infection carrier in whom hepatitis C has not developed.
Is hepatitis C transmitted sexually?
The considered disease is sexually transmitted quite rarely, because neither in the vaginal secret, nor in the semen, the causative agent of the infection is not contained. Infection is possible only if the genitalia of the owner of the virus or a patient with hepatitis C have any damage, scratches, from which blood is excreted, able to penetrate the partner's body. More often it happens to people who have promiscuity. Completely eliminate the infection can be with the use of barrier protection.
Is hepatitis C transmitted through saliva, through a kiss?
Transmission of infection through saliva is considered impossible, or at least unlikely, because in the saliva, the virus can be contained only in people who have a severe form of the disease for a long time. Through a kiss you can get infected if both partners have open wounds on the lips or in the mouth. For example, people at high risk are those with gum disease.
Is hepatitis C transmitted by airborne droplets?
Viral hepatitis C is not carried by airborne droplets, i.e. when talking, coughing, sneezing, infectious agents are not excreted. You should also know that it is impossible to get sick due to handshaking, hugging, using common kitchen utensils, etc.
Is hepatitis C transmitted from mother to child?
It is established that the transmission of infection to the child is possible in the process of delivery while passing through the birth canal. As to whether the virus is transmitted through breast milk, there is no exact data yet. However, in this case, there is a risk of infection of the baby, if the mother has breaches of the integrity of the skin of the mammary glands (cracks, scratches).
Hepatitis C is transmitted through the blood
The hematogenous pathway is the main way of infection with hepatitis C. Therefore, it is impossible to tolerate joint with a sick person (or virus carrier)
- tattooing, piercing with poorly worked tools;
- any medical procedures with the use of insufficiently sterile instruments, especially surgical interventions (including dental and cosmetic manipulations);
- blood transfusion, organ transplantation from sick donors or virus owners;
- sharing of syringes.