::: HCV News :::

Most people don't know much about hepatitis C -- until they're diagnosed. Yet infection and mortality rates for hepatitis C are disturbingly higher than they are for HIV:

* 3.5 million people in the U.S. suffer from CHC (chronic hepatitis C); 700,000 are infected with HIV
* 400 million people are infected worldwide with CHC (that's 1 in every 15 people); 20 million have HIV
* 150,000 new cases of CHC are reported in the U.S.; compared to 40,000 for HIV
* 80 million people worldwide will die from CHC; compared to 20 million from HIV (that's four times as many deaths worldwide from CHC as from AIDS)
* Hepatitis C has been linked to increased mortality among persons with HIV


Hepatitis C can seriously damage the liver and affect its ability to function correctly. It is spread via the blood of an infected person, commonly through sharing needles. It can also be contracted through non-sterile tattoo or piercing equipment, pre-1991 blood transfusions (before blood was screened), unprotected sex and sharing razors or toothbrushes with a carrier.