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Causes
In general, you contract hepatitis C by coming in contact with
blood contaminated with the virus. Most people with hepatitis
C became infected through blood transfusions received before
1992, the year improved blood-screening tests became
available.
You can also contract the virus by injecting drugs with
contaminated needles and, less commonly, from contaminated
needles used in tattooing and body piercing. Needle exchange
programs, which increase the availability of sterile needles,
are helping to reduce the risk of hepatitis C, HIV and other
blood-borne diseases.
A small percentage of babies born to mothers with hepatitis C
acquire the infection during childbirth. Mother-to-infant
transmission rates are higher among women infected with both
hepatitis C and HIV. Talk with your doctor about these risks
before becoming pregnant.
In rare cases, hepatitis C may be transmitted sexually. And in
many people infected with hepatitis C, no risk factor can be
identified.
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