Sage-Tips

Can Hep C be spread via saliva?

Hep C is spread when your blood comes into contact with infected blood. Hep C is NOT spread through saliva, touching or sharing bathrooms. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

Can you get hepatitis B or C from saliva?

Hepatitis B isn’t spread through saliva (spit), so you CAN’T get hepatitis B from sharing food or drinks or using the same fork or spoon. Hepatitis B is also not spread through kissing, hugging, holding hands, coughing, sneezing, or breastfeeding.

Can you get hep C from French kissing?

There are no known cases of HCV being spread through kissing, including deep, open-mouth, or “French” kissing. It is theoretically possible that HCV could be transmitted this way if one partner has mouth sores, bleeding gums, or any other condition that could permit blood-to-blood contact.

Does Hep C have a vaccine?

There is no vaccine for hepatitis C. The best way to prevent hepatitis C is by avoiding behaviors that can spread the disease, especially injecting drugs. Getting tested for hepatitis C is important, because treatments can cure most people with hepatitis C in 8 to 12 weeks.

How do you feel when you have hep C?

When signs and symptoms are present, they may include jaundice, along with fatigue, nausea, fever and muscle aches. Acute symptoms appear one to three months after exposure to the virus and last two weeks to three months.

What can you do to prevent hepatitis C?

Get tested if you have risk factors. You can carry and transmit the virus even if you have no symptoms.

See a doctor for treatment. There are two types of Hepatitis C—short-term,or acute,and long-term,or chronic.

Avoid letting others come into contact with your blood.

Use bleach to clean up any spilled blood,including dried blood.

Is hepatitis C really dangerous?

Hepatitis C is a liver infection that can lead to serious liver damage. It’s caused by the hepatitis C virus. About 3.9 million people in the U.S. have the disease. But it causes few symptoms, so most of them don’t know. The virus spreads through an infected person’s blood or body fluids. There are many forms of the hepatitis C virus, or HCV.

Is hepatitis C and herpes the same thing?

The answer is no! Herpes viruses are their own family and include genital herpes, the virus that causes cankasores and chicken pox. Hepatitis A B and C are all different from each other and belong to different virus families.

Can hepatitis C be sexually transmitted?

Hepatitis C can spread through sexual intercourse, but it’s rare. And it’s extremely rare among monogamous couples. In fact, the CDC considers the risk of sexual transmission between monogamous couples so low that it doesn’t even recommend using condoms. Also, there’s no evidence that hepatitis C is spread by oral sex.