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ISDH Home > About the Agency > Health Information by Topic - A-Z >> > Hepatitis C Resource Packet Hepatitis C Resource Packet

Hepatitis C Resource Packet

Download the 2008 HCV Surveillance Report

Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hepatitis C infections can be acute or chronic. An acute infection is a short-term illness which occurs in the first 6 months after an exposure to the virus. A chronic infection is a long-term illness that occurs when the virus remains in a person’s body. Chronic infections may progress over several years, even decades, and can lead to cirrhosis (liver scarring), liver cancer, and liver failure. It is the most common blood-borne disease in the United States and a leading cause of liver transplantation. It is estimated that 1.8 percent of the population, or more than 4.1 million Americans, have the disease.

Symptoms may include jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes), loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, vomiting, fever, tiredness, headache, stomach pain, and/or dark urine. Symptoms usually appear 2 weeks to 6 months after exposure; however, most people (as many as 80%) experience no symptoms or very mild symptoms. It is important to remember that people without symptoms can still infect others. About 85 percent of people who become infected with HCV will become chronic (long-term) carriers. HCV is spread primarily by direct contact with human blood and body fluids. HCV is not spread by casual contact, such as touching or sharing eating and drinking utensils. You may have been exposed to HCV if you ever injected street drugs, since the needles and/or other drug “works” used to prepare or inject the drug(s) may have been contaminated with blood, you received blood, blood products, or solid organ transplants before 1992 from a donor whose blood contained HCV (blood has been screened for HCV since 1992), you ever received long-term kidney dialysis, you were ever a health care worker who had frequent contact with blood or had an accidental needle stick injury, your mother had HCV at the time she gave birth to you (during birth, her blood may have gotten into your body), you ever shared personal items, such as razors or toothbrushes, with someone who had HCV, you ever had sex with someone who had HCV, or you ever received a tattoo from a noncommercial or unregulated facility that may have used dirty needles or poor sanitary practices.

Hepatitis C is diagnosed through blood tests, and your health care provider may recommend that you be tested for hepatitis C based on your symptoms (if any) and any risk factors you may have. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved treatments including interferon or a combination therapy of ribavarin and interferon as the most current standard of treatment. Your health care provider will decide which treatment options are best for you. Currently, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C. However, if you have hepatitis C, you should be vaccinated against hepatitis A and hepatitis B to prevent those infections.

This resource packet is divided into 3 categories as indicated below. Click on the category of interest, and you will be directed to the resources available for that specific category.

Table of Contents

Information for the General Public

Information for Healthcare Providers

Printable Brochures

Information for the General Public

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Information for Healthcare Providers
  • General Information for Providers

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  • Laboratory Testing

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Printable Brochures

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This page was last reviewed September 1, 2010.

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