Scribd
Upload
35 views1 page

Hepatitis C: Key Facts

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, which can cause both acute and chronic infections ranging from mild to serious lifelong illness. The hepatitis C virus is primarily spread through exposure to small amounts of blood, such as through injection drug use or unsafe medical practices. Around 71 million people globally have chronic hepatitis C infection, many of whom may develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. Each year approximately 399,000 people die from hepatitis C, usually from cirrhosis or liver cancer. While antiviral medicines can cure over 95% of hepatitis C infections, reducing deaths, access to diagnosis and treatment is limited. Currently there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, though research continues.

Uploaded by

I11106006
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
35 views1 page

Hepatitis C: Key Facts

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus, which can cause both acute and chronic infections ranging from mild to serious lifelong illness. The hepatitis C virus is primarily spread through exposure to small amounts of blood, such as through injection drug use or unsafe medical practices. Around 71 million people globally have chronic hepatitis C infection, many of whom may develop cirrhosis or liver cancer. Each year approximately 399,000 people die from hepatitis C, usually from cirrhosis or liver cancer. While antiviral medicines can cure over 95% of hepatitis C infections, reducing deaths, access to diagnosis and treatment is limited. Currently there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, though research continues.

Uploaded by

I11106006
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Hepatitis C

Fact sheet
Updated October 2017

Key facts

 Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus: the virus can cause both
acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to
a serious, lifelong illness.
 The hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne virus and the most common modes of infection are
through exposure to small quantities of blood. This may happen through injection drug
use, unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, and the transfusion of unscreened
blood and blood products.
 Globally, an estimated 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C infection.
 A significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver
cancer.
 Approximately 399 000 people die each year from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and
hepatocellular carcinoma.
 Antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of persons with hepatitis C infection,
thereby reducing the risk of death from liver cancer and cirrhosis, but access to diagnosis
and treatment is low.
 There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C; however research in this area is ongoing.

Source: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs164/en/

You might also like