Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C is a virus that affects the liver and can lead to serious liver damage if untreated for long periods of time.

your quick guide to this page

what is hepatitis c?: Learn what defines hepatitis C and what its general consequences are.
fast facts: Get a quick overview of hepatitis C through statistics and bite-sized facts.
symptoms: Learn about the symptoms of hepatitis C, how to recognize them, and what to do if you experience them.
lifestyle impacts: Find out how hepatitis C impacts your lifestyle.
what can I do?: Discover management and treatment strategies for hepatitis C.
additional resources: Find useful links, education, articles, recipes and more that can help with hepatitis C.

what is hepatitis c?

Hepatitis C is spread through blood-to-blood contact, meaning hepatitis C infected blood must reach your bloodstream. Acute hepatitis C is a shorter-term illness that occurs within the first six months of exposure. In some cases, the virus runs its course on its own and the infection is gone. For most people, an acute infection leads to a chronic infection.

fast facts

For about 25% of people, the hepatitis c virus will disappear on its own.
There were 7,535 cases of hepatitis C, at a rate of 19.7 cases per 100,000 in Canada in 2021.
Men accounted for 62.1% of cases in 2021 (24.6 cases per 100,000 men vs. 14.7 cases per 100,000 women).
Manitoba had the highest rate in 2021 at 42.3 cases per 100,000.

symptoms

Most individuals with hepatitis C do not experience symptoms in early stages. If the virus is present after six months, it is a chronic infection where in most cases, there is only mild to moderate liver damage. In some cases, it can lead to serious complications including cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. If hepatitis C remains undiagnosed and untreated, and progresses to advanced stages, a liver transplant could be needed. Symptoms can include:

fatigue
nausea
achiness
abdominal pain
flu-like symptoms

who is most at risk?

people who inject drugs
people in the prison system
indigenous peoples
gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men
immigrants and newcomers where HCV is common
adults born from 1945-1975

what can I do?

prevention

Adults over the age of 18, including pregnant women and any individuals who have a risk factor for hepatitis C, should be screened for hepatitis C.

diagnosis

Blood tests can detect the hepatitis C virus in the body.

treatment

In some cases, hepatitis C disappears on its own, however in most cases, hepatitis C needs to be cured using direct acting antivirals (DAAs), oral pills that are taken daily for 8-12 weeks that act on the virus to remove it from the body. DAAs have a success rate of over 90%.