Hepatitis C transmission: how HCV is caught and passed on

Hepatitis C can be transmitted through:

Injecting (or snorting) drug use with shared, unsterilised equipment
Tattooing or piercing that does not use new sterilised needles and ink
Medical or dental procedures with unsterilised equipment, including kidney dialysis (rare)
Needlestick accidents in health care workers
Sharing items that may contain blood, such as razors, toothbrushes, nail scissors and nail files
Sex with someone who has HCV

Hepatitis C (HCV) is mainly transmitted when infected blood directly enters another person’s bloodstream. Saliva and tears are not infectious. Semen and genital fluids may be infectious.

Hepatitis C can also be transmitted from mother to infant during pregnancy, or during labour and delivery.

As with HIV, you cannot transmit or catch hepatitis C by touching, kissing, hugging, or from sharing cutlery and crockery.

Unlike HIV, which dies in under a minute outside the body, HCV survives as an infectious virus in dried blood for several days. This is why it's important to avoid sharing items that may contain tiny traces of blood.

Hepatitis C, blood products and blood transfusions

People who received a blood transfusion or blood products before the blood supply was thoroughly screened (early 1990s) may have been infected with HCV. Since then, the risk has been brought down to virtually zero in the UK, Western Europe, and the US.

However, up to 90% of people with haemophilia who were treated with clotting factors before screening was introduced were infected with HIV and HCV.

In some countries, infections still occur from blood transfusions because blood is not screened thoroughly.

This is the web edition of the i-Base guide Hepatitis C for people living with HIV: testing, coinfection, treatment and support. This guide is available in UK clinics. You can order free printed copies or download a PDF version (657 Kb).

Information on this website is provided as a guide only. All treatment decisions should be taken in consultation with your doctor or other healthcare professional. Authors and credits. Full section index. Glossary.