Prevention of hepatitis C
Learn how hepatitis C can be prevented.
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How can hepatitis C be prevented?
There is no vaccine to protect against hepatitis C.
However, you can reduce your risk of getting or spreading hepatitis C by:
- avoiding sharing personal care items, such as:
- razors
- scissors
- nail clippers
- toothbrushes
- never sharing needles or other drug-use paraphernalia
- wearing latex gloves if you are likely to be in contact with someone else's blood
- avoiding dental, medical or cosmetic work done with unsterilized needles or equipment, such as:
- piercing
- tattooing
- acupuncture
If you have hepatitis C, you can help prevent the spread of the disease by:
- not donating:
- blood
- tissue
- semen
- organs
- covering open sores or breaks in your skin
- making sure your drug use and/or sex partner(s) are tested for hepatitis C
Sexual activity
All sexual contact has some risk. You can reduce getting or spreading hepatitis C by practising safer sex. Safer sex, also known as safe sex, is more than just wearing the proper protection. It includes:
- getting tested regularly for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- discussing STI prevention with your sex partner(s)
- discussing with your partner(s) what sexual contact you will have
- using condoms and other barriers safely
- having fewer sex partners to reduce potential exposure to STIs
Pregnancy
It is possible for a mother to pass hepatitis C to her baby.
Talk to your health care provider about being tested for all types of hepatitis if you:
- are pregnant
- plan to get pregnant
Workplace
You can greatly reduce the risk of hepatitis C in the workplace by putting in place proper infection control practices.
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