Hepatitis C transmission and prevention

The most common route of hepatitis C transmission is sharing needles and other equipment for injecting drugs. In recent years, an increasing number of gay and bisexual men living with HIV have acquired hepatitis C through sexual transmission.

Other topics in this section

Hepatitis C transmission and prevention: latest news

Hepatitis C transmission and prevention resources

  • How hepatitis C is passed on during sex

    Hepatitis C can be passed on during sex that could lead to contact with semen, rectal mucus or blood.Many gay men with HIV have picked...

    From: The basics

    Information level Level 1

  • How hepatitis C is passed on

    When the blood of a person who has hepatitis C enters the bloodstream of another person, that person could get hepatitis C.Tiny and unseen traces...

    From: The basics

    Information level Level 1

  • Hepatitis C

    Hepatitis C can cause the same types of symptoms and long-term liver damage as hepatitis B, although the two viruses are not closely related. Recent estimates find...

    From: Booklets

    Information level Level 2

  • Hepatitis C and HIV

    Hepatitis C is a blood-borne infection that is transmitted in some of the same ways as HIV.Over time untreated hepatitis C...

    From: Factsheets

    Information level Level 2

  • Sexually transmitted infections

    This section contains a brief explanation of how common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are passed on, their symptoms and their treatment. STIs can be caused by bacteria, viruses...

    From: Booklets

    Information level Level 2

Hepatitis C transmission and prevention features

Hepatitis C transmission and prevention in your own words

  • Bored and horny

    It’s Sunday afternoon and it’s raining. I’m bored and horny. However, I’ve got £20 left over from the night before and this will be enough...

    From: In your own words

Hepatitis C transmission and prevention news from aidsmap

More news

Hepatitis C transmission and prevention news selected from other sources

  • Dramatic rise in U.S. opioid deaths as epidemic spreads to eastern states

    Long believed to be concentrated among Appalachian states and parts of the Midwest, Alexander's research shows that the crisis has spread. Eastern states have seen a sharp rise in opioid deaths – with Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire and Ohio among the states with the highest rise in opioid-related deaths.

    13 March 2019 | Medical Xpress

  • Needle and syringe programs cost-effectively prevent hepatitis C transmission

    Providing clean injecting equipment through needle and syringe programs is a highly cost-effective way of preventing hepatitis C (HCV) transmission among people who inject drugs and could save millions of pounds in infection treatment costs in the UK, according to research led by the University of Bristol and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

    24 January 2019 | Eurekalert Medicine & Health

  • Hep C Infection May Be on the Rise Among Men Using PrEP

    The incidence of sexually acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections appears to be rising among men who have sex with men (MSM) and use pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against HIV, U.S. researchers report.

    09 January 2019 | Medscape (requires free registration)

  • 'I gave birth, and got Hepatitis C'

    When Jackie Britton was given a blood transfusion after childbirth, she thought it was saving her life. But the infected blood could have killed her. There are thought to be thousands like her. They often feel overlooked in the wider NHS contaminated blood scandal.

    21 September 2018 | BBC News

  • Hepatitis C vaccine could dramatically reduce transmission in people who inject drugs

    Among the most serious consequences of the opioid epidemic is the spread of hepatitis C among injecting drug users. A study published in Science Translational Medicine shows that if a hepatitis C vaccine were successfully developed, it would dramatically reduce transmission of hepatitis C among drug users -- even though it's unlikely such a vaccine would provide complete immunity.

    12 July 2018 | Eurekalert Inf Dis

  • Another Adverse Effect of the Opioid Epidemic: Hepatitis C Infections

    Amid the ongoing opioid epidemic, hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection should be at the forefront of health care providers’ minds. Although HCV has been widely viewed as predominantly affecting baby boomers—those born between 1945 and 1965—a younger generation is experiencing increased incidence of infection.

    20 June 2018 | Contagion Live

  • Hep C: Have men who have sex with men (MSM) reached a turning point?

    As men who have sex with men (MSM) are treated for their Hep C, a treatment as prevention approach becomes possible. Once a patient has cleared their Hep C, they cannot pass it on.

    05 May 2018 | Gay Times

  • As opioid crisis grows, babies and moms with hepatitis C fly under the radar

    A growing number of infants are born exposed to hepatitis C, but fewer than a third are later screened to monitor and treat the potentially fatal virus, according to a recent study based out of a hospital in Pittsburgh that experts say highlights a trend unfolding across the country.

    02 May 2018 | PBS NewsHour

  • Transmitting HIV Is a Crime in Most States. Is HCV Next?

    In a surprising twist, some states are now broadening the scope of criminalization laws to include viral hepatitis and other infections, leaving some physicians dismayed and advocates deeply divided on the best path toward reform.

    23 April 2018 | MedPage Today

  • What’s Hepatitis C Reinfection Got to Do With It?

    Ending the epidemic is going to require addressing the fact that certain individuals are at high risk of reinfection - in other words, when someone cured of the virus contracts it again. Reinfection is particularly likely to occur among individuals who are currently engaging in the kind of high-risk practices that spread the virus.

    03 April 2018 | Poz
More news

Our information levels explained

  • Short and simple introductions to key HIV topics, sometimes illustrated with pictures.
  • Expands on the previous level, but also written in easy-to-understand plain language.
  • More detailed information, likely to include medical and scientific language.
  • Detailed, comprehensive information, using medical and specialised language.
Community Consensus Statement on Access to HIV Treatment and its Use for Prevention

Together, we can make it happen

We can end HIV soon if people have equal access to HIV drugs as treatment and as PrEP, and have free choice over whether to take them.

Launched today, the Community Consensus Statement is a basic set of principles aimed at making sure that happens.

The Community Consensus Statement is a joint initiative of AVAC, EATG, MSMGF, GNP+, HIV i-Base, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, ITPC and NAM/aidsmap
close

This content was checked for accuracy at the time it was written. It may have been superseded by more recent developments. NAM recommends checking whether this is the most current information when making decisions that may affect your health.

NAM’s information is intended to support, rather than replace, consultation with a healthcare professional. Talk to your doctor or another member of your healthcare team for advice tailored to your situation.