What You Should Know In Any Case
Since hepatitis C is transmitted through contact with the blood of an individual who is infected, there are certain precautions which should be taken which will protect you.

First, the activities which are NOT considered to be a risk. In general, it is generally accepted that you can not get the disease through everyday contact between individuals, intimate contact (most sexual contact, nursing of baby, kissing, holding hands, sneezing, hugging, coughing, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, food or water, casual contact and food and beverage handling, as well as living in constant contact. None of the above appear to cause transmission of hepatitis C.

However, any activity which causes the transfer of blood from one person to the other (even in very small amounts) should be avoided - sharing toothbrushes, shaving gear, pierced earrings, drug sniffing apparatus, scissors, nail clippers, etc. should be avoided. Do not use unsteralized needles (tattooing, body piercing) and be sure good health practices (washing hands, using disposable gloves) are followed by person doing it. In drug use, do not share needles, syringes, water, or "works", etc.
Individuals who come into contact with blood as part of their occupation (first responders, health care workers, etc.) should take extra precautions, but current evidence does not suggest that this group is normally at a substantially higher risk than other segment of the population although vaccination against B is advised. Note: there is no vaccination against hepatitis C.

Protect Yourself If you think that you have hepatitis C, protect yourself by not drinking alcohol and get a test. A test will also indicate if you have liver problems, and how to avoid causing more harm to your liver, There is no vaccine against hepatitis C but there are several drugs which according to the U.S. Center for Disease control can, when used in combination, remove the virus for about 30-40% of infected individuals. If you have more than one steady relationship, get vaccinated for hepatitis B. Also get a vaccination against hepatitis A to further protect your liver. In any case, use safe sex, both to protect yourself from A and B, and to protect the other person. Do not take over-the-counter drugs without first consulting your health care provider since there are some medications which have ingredients harmful to a potentially damaged liver.

Protect Others
If you think or know that you have hepatitis, to repeat above, do not let others borrow anything of yours which may have traces of blood - shaving equipment, toothbrush, needles, pierced earrings (this should not be done in any case). Keep covered any cuts or sores you may have. Use safe sex methods if you have more than one permanent relationship. Do not donate blood, organs or tissue. Pregnancy does not have to be avoided since only 5% of children, of mothers with hepatitis C, contract the disease unavoidably at the time of birth. And in many instances, the child's immune system gets rid of it within a two year period. However, the child should be tested at the end of that period just to be sure that it is not still carrying the virus. Breast feeding is considered safe. The U.S. CDC indicates that persons should not be excluded from work, school, play, child-care or other settings on the basis of their infection status.

Get A Test
If you fall into one of the above groups or think you may have contracted it, contact your health care provider and request to be tested for hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is not yet a test which is automatically given. Do not donate blood to test whether or not you have the disease. There are often no definitive signs or symptoms of the disease. Check out the NIDDK site below for a list of possible symptoms when the disease becomes severe or cirrhosis has developed. A home test, authorized by the FDA, may be used as a first step. The home test site offers a self administered and confidential questionnaire which you can take to help you make the decision as to whether or not to take the test.
Check out the following for clinical symptoms and signs.

When To Test
The virus incubation period is from 2 weeks to 6 months from the time of exposure. Therefore, if you receive a not infected result before the end of the period, you cannot be sure that you are clear of the disease. Check the NIDDK site below for information on the sensitivity of different tests.
If you decide to take the home test, they have the following statement: "...your sample is tested with an Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay (ELISA). In some cases, a more specific test called Recombinant Immunoblot Assay (RIBA) may also be used to determine your final result. It can take up to six months for your blood to develop antibodies to the hepatitis C virus. Hepatitis C CheckSM Test Service may not detect more recent infections. We recommend you take the test six months or more AFTER you have been exposed to hepatitis C virus."

Excerpts from several authoritative sources:
What are the symptoms of hepatitis C?
American Liver Foundation http://www.liverfoundation.org/
Hepatitis C is a slowly progressing disease that may gradually advance over time and can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and even death... One third of [those infected] do not know that they are infected with the hepatitis C virus. However, when symptoms do occur with hepatitis C, they are usually mild and intermittent, with the most commonly reported being fatigue, abdominal pain, and fever.

Most new cases of hepatitis C occur in young adults, aged 25 to 40, who may not learn for years or even decades that they are infected. Undiagnosed, they risk serious liver damage and may unknowingly infect others. Once cirrhosis and the other complications of hepatitis C set in, the symptoms of the disease are much more severe and, in some cases, even disabling.

Hepatitis C is an emerging infectious disease in this country. Each year, up to 10,000 people die as a result of the complications of hepatitis C. Hepatitis C, accompanied by cirrhosis and liver failure, is the leading cause of liver transplantation in the United States. It is estimated that, without improved prevention and intervention, the death rate associated with hepatitis C likely will triple in the next 20 years.

The test kit
Manufactured by Home Access Health Corporation, the test kit is an FDA-approved, at-home test for hepatitis C. With the easy-to-use test, a person collects a small finger-stick blood sample and mails it for processing. A call to a toll-free number using a personal identification number guaranteeing confidentiality, gives results within 10 business days. On home page, click on our tests and then on hepatitis C.
source
Also available is a confidential risk assessment test of 8 questions to determine if it is probable that you may have hepatitis C to help you make the decision as to whether or not to order the home test.

Hepatitis C - Links     to index

Hepatitis C links
The Hepatitis Information Network (Canadian)
International as well as country links to papers, news, research results, conferences, advances in treatment, etc. as well as general information on Hepatitis C (also Hepatitis General) http://www.hepnet.com/hepc.html

Study of First Responders     to index

Summary of studies regarding first responders
Routine HCV testing is not recommended for populations with a low prevalence of HCV infection, including first responders, unless they have a history indicating an increased risk for infection (e.g., transfusion before July 1992 or injecting-drug use)... Testing is recommended in first responders for post exposure management after a percutaneous or permucosal exposure to HCV-positive blood..., and testing could be considered for these types of exposures when the HCV status of the source is unknown.... To reduce workplace exposure to blood borne pathogens, standard precautions continue to apply; first responders should be educated about transmission of blood borne pathogens, trained in proper safety measures, and provided with appropriate protective equipment.... First responders also should be vaccinated against HBV, and informed of protocols if percutaneous or permucosal exposures to blood occur....

Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians, and Paramedics --- Selected Locations, United States, 1991--2000 MMWR July 28 2000 49(29)660-5 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4929a3.htm

Alternative Treatment     to index

Additional Hepatitis C Sites     to index

One of the best overall treatments of the subject:
Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection and HCV-Related Chronic Disease, MMWR Recommendations and Reports October 16, 1998 / Vol. 47 / No. RR-19 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
ftp://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Publications/mmwr/rr/rr4719.pdf

Encyclopedias and General References     to index

Your Online Hepatitis Encyclopedia
Hepatitis-Central.com source covering Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, Hepatitis E, Hepatitis G, Autoimmune Hepatitis, Hepatitis C Genotypes, etc. Over 2,000 searchable pages of hepatitis information.