Hepatitis C
By: Jordan Heath
HCV virus
The Hepatitis C virus is the most common blood disease in the United States. About 3.2 million people are infected by this virus. Although HCV is not sexually transmitted efficiently, people are at high risk through injection drug use. The places that people may seek treatment are: STD treatment facilities, HIV counseling and testing facilities, correctional facilities, Drug treatment facilities, and other drug prevention and treatment settings. Injection drug users transmit hepatitis c trough sharing the infected needle and drug preparation equipment. HCV is also transmitted through direct contact with the blood of an infected person and from breast feeding from an infected mother. HCV infection sometimes results in an acute illness, but most often becomes a chronic condition that can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer and in time possibly DEATH!