Is Hepatitis C contagious?!?

my boyfriend thinks he might have hepatitis, he said it was food bourne, so im worried that i might catch it!

Hepatitis C is not a food borne illness. Hepatitis A is. If he has HAV (hepatitis A) make sure he washes his hands well after using the bathroom and before he prepares food. HAV is transmitted by fecal/oral route (poor handwashing then prepare food that is eaten by others who then get HAV). It is also transmitted by certain sexual practices when the mouth comes in contact with the anus.
Hepatitis C is transmitted by blood to blood contact only. You need to find out which kind of hep he has so you can protect yourself. There is a vaccine for HAV, but not for HCV (hepatitis C).

Also, HCV can live outside the body for up to four days, making it easier to transfer on razor blades, medical instruments that aren't autoclaved, toothbrushes, etc.
Hope this helps. Sorry to be so graphic, but if you don't know, you can't protect yourself. Best wishes.

http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases...
Yuppers

Yes, that's why people who work with at-risk people have to be careful, just like those who work with people with HIV.
It is a blood-to-blood disease like HIV, so not easy to spread. You won't get it through normal contact or kissing.

This article says you should get tested if you suspect you have it. Some people don't show symptoms. It attacks the liver, and since you can't live without your liver (lover), it can be life threatening.

Hope this eases your mind.

it's blood borne, but extremely contagious. it is thought that it takes far less of exposure to catch hep c than it does hiv.

Hepatitis C is NOT food borne. Its blood to blood...It is less than 5% sexually transmitted..there has to be blood present on both partners to be transfered sexually, as in open wounds.

The worst thing about all the Hepatitis virus's is that the public is not informed..There are vacinations for A and B

1 in 12 worldwide have Hepatitis C
1 in 50 in the US have Hepatitis C

All of the answers here are really good. My Grandfather contracted Hepititus C in the 1980's from a blood tranfusion before they had the proper testing for it. It lay doormant for almost 10 years. After it surfaced,he died within 3 months. Anyway, I wanted you to know that you can also contract it from the equipment that is used for manicures and pedicures if it is not sterilized properly. Anything that is used there that is not made of metal should be thrown away or given to the client after it is used. So anyone who has these kinds of services done for them should always do their homework on the place of buisness that they are receiving these services from. You would be surprised how dirty some of those places are. Cheaper isn't always better for that exact reason!!!

Just through blood !!

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread by blood-to-blood contact with an infected person's blood. No vaccine against hepatitis C is available. The symptoms of infection can be medically managed, and a proportion of patients can be cleared of the virus by a long course of anti-viral medicines. Although early medical intervention is helpful, people with HCV infection often experience mild symptoms, and consequently do not seek treatment.

Methods of transmission

Several activities and practices have been identified as potential sources of exposure to the hepatitis C virus. Anyone who may have been exposed to HCV through one or more of these routes should be screened for hepatitis C.

Injection drug use
Those who currently use or have used drug injection as their delivery route for illicit drugs are at increased risk for getting hepatitis C because they may be sharing needles or other drug paraphernalia (includes cookers, cotton, spoons, water, etc.), which may be contaminated with HCV-infected blood.

Drug use by nasal inhalation (Drugs that are "snorted")

Blood products
Blood transfusion, blood products, or organ transplantation.

Iatrogenic medical or dental exposure
People can be exposed to HCV via inadequately or improperly sterilized medical or dental equipment.

Occupational exposure to blood
Medical and dental personnel, first responders (e.g., firefighters, paramedics, emergency medical technicians, law enforcement officers), and military combat personnel can be exposed to HCV through accidental exposure to blood through accidental needlesticks or blood spatter to the eyes or open wounds.

Recreational exposure to blood
Contact sports and other activities, such as "slam dancing" that may result in accidental blood-to-blood exposure are potential sources of exposure to HCV.

Sexual exposure to blood
Sexual transmission of HCV is considered to be rare. The CDC does not recommend the use of condoms between discordant couples (where one partner is positive and the other is negative);however, because of the high prevalence of hepatitis C, this small risk may translate into a non-trivial number of cases transmitted by sexual routes. Vaginal penetrative sex is believed to have a lower risk of transmission than sexual practices that involve higher levels of trauma to anogenital mucosa (anal penetrative sex, fisting, use of sex toys).

Body piercings and tattoos
Tattooing dyes, ink pots, stylets and piercing implements can transmit HCV-infected blood from one person to another if proper sterilization techniques are not followed.

Shared personal care items
Personal care items such as razors, toothbrushes, cuticle scissors, and other manicuring or pedicuring equipment can easily be contaminated with blood. Sharing such items can potentially lead to exposure to HCV.

HCV is not spread through casual contact such as hugging, kissing, or sharing eating or cooking utensils.

If it is a food borne hepatitis, it is most likely not Hep C. A or B are more likely....A most likely of all.
There are MANY different causes of liver inflammation (hepatitis) and only some of them are viral.

Be sure you are asking about the right virus!

Yes, through sex and blood to blood (needle sharing).

Hepatitis c is a blood borne virus. It is contagious as you can catch it but you need to have blood to blood contact with someone with the disease to catch it yourself.

The hep c disease can live outside the body in blood, even dry blood up to 24 hours even.

It cannot be caught through having sex unless the person carrying the disease has a cut and the person having sex with them also has a cut (which is quite rare anyway)

The way it is caught the most is through drug users injecting and sharing needles that carry the hep c disease.
It can also be caught if you share a rolled up note to snort cocaine with someone with hep c or if you share a crack pipe with them and they have a cut on their lip and you have a cut on yours ( rare again!)

Hep c seriously damages the liver, alcohol speeds it up by 3 times as in a person that doesn't drink alcohol.

Hope this helps you.

Yes!!!