Who is at risk?
The most common risk factor for Hepatitis C infection today is intravenous drug use, especially through sharing of contaminated needles. In fact, 60 per cent to 80 per cent of all IV-drug users are infected with the HCV.

Other risk factors include tattooing and body piercing if the tattoo/body piercing needles are not properly sterilised.

Although Hepatitis does not spread easily through sexual intercourse, a high-risk behavior such as multiple sexual partners, is associated with an increased risk of HCV. Blood transfusions are another leading cause of HCV where unsuspecting patients are given blood, affected by Hepatitis C virus.

HCV is Curable
Unlike HIV, Hepatitis C can be cured. There are proven treatments that enable people to eradicate the hepatitis C virus from their bodies for good. Without effective treatment however, hepatitis C can progress to cirrhosis, liver cancer or liver failure. The disease is responsible for a majority of hepatocellular carcinoma cases, of all cases of liver 50 to 75 per cent are caused by HCV. In about 60 per cent of all liver transplants, the transplants are carried out on people with HCV.

The Symptoms
There may be no symptoms in the first six months of infection. Nearly 20 per cent of those infected clear the virus from their body naturally and experience no long-term effects of the infection.

However, for the remaining 80 per cent a chronic or long-term infection is likely to develop. The course of a chronic hepatitis C infection is extremely varied and unpredictable. Because of the common absence of symptoms, many people are unaware that they have a hepatitis C infection until sometime after infection.

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