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When you hear the word hepatitis most people think of a sexually transmitted disease. This is true for hepatitis B, but not for hepatitis C. Hepatitis C can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, though it is very rare. There are five different forms of hepatitis-- A, B, C, D, and E. Vaccines are now available for hepatitis A and B, but not for hepatitis C. Hepatitis A and E are spread by the consumption of infected food or water. As stated before, hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease. Hepatitis D is considered to be a sub viral satellite because it can propagate only in the presence of the hepatitis B virus.
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HVC), which is found in the blood persons who have the disease. The disease was identified in 1988, and is now known to be responsible for most cases of transfusion-related hepatitis. It was formerly in the general category of non-A, non-B hepatitis because the disease could not be attributed to infection with either hepatitis A or B virus. The hepatitis C virus is now thought to be responsible for the majority of cases of paternally transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis in the 1980‘s. There has not been a documented transfusion-related case of hepatitis C in the United States for over a decade.
The hepatitis C virus is spread by blood-to-blood contact with a person infected by the disease. The most common transmission of the disease is through the use of injecting street drugs. Not only the sharing of needles can spread the disease, but also related paraphernalia such as spoons, cotton, and water. An estimated 60% to 80% of intravenous recreational drug users in the United States have been infected by HCV. Other ways the disease is spread is if you were treated for clotting problems with a blood product made before 1987, or if you received a blood transfusion or...