How Do You Get Hepatitis C? Blood, Sex and Other Routes
Quick answer
Hepatitis C spreads when blood from a person with the virus, even a microscopic amount, gets into another person's body. Sharing injection equipment is the most common route, and reused or poorly sterilized medical equipment is another. Sex can spread it, but the CDC calls that uncommon. Most people have no symptoms, so the only way to know is a blood test.
If you have just learned you have hepatitis C, the first question is often “how?” It can feel like it came from nowhere. The answer is usually blood contact that happened a long time ago, and many people can’t pinpoint it. That is common and nothing to be ashamed of.
How do you get hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a bloodborne virus. The CDC says it spreads when blood from a person with the virus, even microscopic amounts, enters another person’s body.
The main routes are:
- Sharing injection equipment. Needles, syringes and other equipment used to prepare or inject drugs. The CDC lists this as the primary route, and the NHS also lists equipment for snorting drugs.
- Medical or dental care with poor infection control. The WHO points to the reuse or inadequate sterilization of syringes and needles in healthcare settings, and the NHS mentions care in a country with poor infection control.
- Blood products before screening. The CDC lists blood transfusions and organ transplants before July 1992, and clotting factor products before 1987, as risk factors.
Can you get hepatitis C from sex?
Yes, but it is uncommon. The CDC says “while uncommon, hepatitis C can spread during sex,” and that most reported cases of transmission have been among men who have sex with men. The NHS puts it as unprotected sex where blood is present, and the WHO describes sexual spread as a less common route linked to practices that expose people to blood.
The CDC also lists people with HIV as a group at higher risk. It advises using condoms or other protective equipment during sex, including with a partner who has the virus.
What are the less common ways?
- Birth. The virus can pass from a mother with hepatitis C to her baby.
- Tattoos and piercings. Risk comes from tools or inks that weren’t sterilized after being used on someone with the virus.
- Shared personal items. Razors, toothbrushes and similar items can carry infected blood.
- Contact with blood or open sores of someone who has the virus.
What does not spread hepatitis C?
Everyday contact doesn’t. The CDC finds no evidence of spread through hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, sneezing or sharing eating utensils. The NHS says the same about sharing food or drink, and the WHO adds that it is not spread through breast milk, food or water.
So you don’t need to avoid a friend, relative or colleague who has hepatitis C, and they don’t need to stay away from work, school or childcare.
How could I have caught it without knowing?
Many people with hepatitis C have no symptoms and don’t know they are infected, the CDC notes. Some people with a new infection notice tiredness, fever or yellow skin and eyes within one to three months of exposure, MedlinePlus says. Many never do.
That means the infection could date from years ago. Think through the routes above, including medical care abroad, a blood transfusion or transplant in the periods listed, or any past drug use. You don’t need to work out the exact moment before you get tested.
What should I do next?
Order a test online. The CDC recommends that all adults 18 and older be tested at least once. Hepatitis C is found with a blood test, and an antibody test shows whether you’ve ever been infected. If it is positive, a follow-up test shows whether the virus is still in your body. See hepatitis B and C testing for how the tests differ.
If you are infected, the CDC says there are treatments that cure most people. A clinician will decide which one fits you, so see one for treatment. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C, so prevention means avoiding blood contact and, for sex, using condoms. Hepatitis B is different: it has a vaccine, and if a partner has it, see what to do when your partner has hepatitis B.
If you’re unsure which virus is which, hepatitis A, B and C are separate infections that spread differently.
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Get care today if
- Your skin or the whites of your eyes look yellow (jaundice)
- Your urine is dark, or your stools are pale or clay-coloured
- You have stomach pain with nausea or throwing up that doesn't settle
- You have a fever together with any of the signs above
Call 911 for a medical emergency. Otherwise, urgent care or your doctor can see you today.
When to test
- If you have never been testedThe CDC recommends that every adult 18 or older get tested for hepatitis C at least once. It is a blood test, so it can be done without any symptoms, and you can order it online.
- If you may have been exposed in the past 6 monthsThe CDC says the test should look for the virus itself (a nucleic acid test) rather than an antibody test. When you order a test online, check which type it is. CDC also says you will need to be tested again for antibodies after a possible recent exposure, so plan when to repeat it.
- If an antibody test is positiveAn antibody test shows whether you have ever been infected. A follow-up test then checks for the virus itself, to find out whether the infection is current.
Common questions
Can you get hepatitis C from sex?
Yes, but it is uncommon. The CDC says hepatitis C can spread during sex, and that most reported cases of transmission have been among men who have sex with men. The CDC also advises using condoms or other protective equipment during sex.
Can you get hepatitis C from kissing, hugging or sharing food?
No. The CDC finds no evidence that hepatitis C is spread by hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, sneezing or sharing eating utensils. The NHS says you cannot get it by hugging, kissing or sharing food or drink.
Can I get hepatitis C from a tattoo or piercing?
It is possible if the equipment used was not sterilized. The NHS notes this is unlikely at licensed UK premises.
Is there a vaccine for hepatitis C?
No. The CDC says there is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C. There are treatments that cure most people, and you can be infected again after being cured, so the same precautions still apply.
Sources
This guide is general information written by a patient advocate using public health sources. It is not a diagnosis. Only a clinician who examines you, or a lab test, can tell you what you have. Read how we write and check our guides.