How can I prevent passing on the virus to others?

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If you have a current hepatitis C infection you should:

not share any injecting equipment such as needles, syringes, etc.
not donate blood or carry a donor card.
not share razors, toothbrushes or anything else that may possibly be contaminated with blood.
use condoms when having sex. The risk of passing on the hepatitis C virus during sex is small, but is reduced even further by using condoms. However, your partner in a regular faithful relationship may accept the small risk of having sex without condoms.

What is the treatment of hepatitis C?

The main aim of treatment is to prevent severe liver damage leading to cirrhosis. If you have chronic hepatitis C but have little or no damage to the liver, you are at low risk of developing cirrhosis. No treatment may then be needed.

If you have persistent inflammation of the liver then you are at risk of developing cirrhosis and so treatment is often advised.

The usual treatment is a combination of medicines called interferon and ribavirin. This treatment can clear the virus ('cure') in up to half of cases. Interferon is in given by injection once a week or more, and ribavirin tablets are taken each day. A course of treatment lasts 6-12 months. The treatment period can be a difficult time as side-effects may develop from these powerful medicines. For example, tiredness, feeling sick, headaches, depression and other problems.

Even if the treatment does not clear the virus, it may still slow down the progression of inflammation and liver damage.

Treatment is not usually offered if you:

are likely to continue to inject drugs as there is a risk of reactions with injected drugs, and a risk of re-infection.
you have certain other medical conditions.
are pregnant.
drink a lot of alcohol.

Newer medicines are being developed and are undergoing trials. They may prove to be better than the current treatments.