Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C Fact Sheet
(PDF 17 KB)
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Hepatitis can be found throughout the world and infects humans, not
animals. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there
are between 130 and 170 million people worldwide that are chronically infected.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that
3.9 million people in the United States have been infected, of which 2.7
million are chronically infected.
The risk of contracting hepatitis C is greater for the following
groups:
- People who inject drugs.
- People that have received clotting factors made before 1987.
- People who receive hemodialysis.
- People who have received blood or organ. transfusions before 1992
- People with undiagnosed liver disease.
- Infants born to mothers infected with hepatitis C.
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