Hepatitis C is an infectious disease affecting the liver (inflamation), caused by the virus (HCV). The infection is often asymptomatic (without symptoms) and it is mostly discovered accidentally. Once established, chronic infection can progress to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis, liver failure, liver cancer...)The hepatitis C virus is spread by blood-to-blood contact: blood transfusion, needlestick accidents among healthcare workers, injection drug use, acumpucture, body piercing, tattooing, sharing personal care items (for example, razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers, or nail files), nail'scare, transmission from a mother to her unborn child (5%), transmission during hemodialysis treatment, the risk of transmission during sex is not precisely known but is thought to be quite low (3%)....
As it is often not detected for many years after infection, it may be difficult to pinpoint the exact event that caused infection.
Hepatitis C has been called many names along its path to notoriety, the silent epidemic, the real Y2K bug, even the disease of the new millennium. Although it currently receives much attention, hepatitis C was not well studied or even identified until 1989. Hepatitis C is a strictly human disease. It cannot be contracted from or given to any animal. Chimpanzees can be infected with the virus in the laboratory, but do not develop the disease, which has made research more difficult. No vaccine against hepatitis C is available.
It is estimated that Hepatitis C has infected nearly 3% of worldwide population, and infects 3-4 million more people per year.
Curiosity: in Chinese medicine, the liver is represented by a dragon!
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