Hepatitis C is a virus that is carried in blood. You can only get hepatitis C if blood from an infected person gets into your bloodstream.

In Australia most people have got hepatitis C from

• Sharing any equipment used to inject drugs or steroids
• Unsafe (unsterile) tattooing or body piercing
  Eg, reusing needles, dye and dye tubs and not using disposable gloves for each client

A small number of people may have got hepatitis C from:

• Blood transfusions before 1990
• Immunisations using the same needle for many people in some countries
• Health care worker accidents involving blood, eg cutting themselves during surgery
  
  

You can't get hepatitis C from

• Sharing food
• Drinking from the same cup or bottle
• Hugging or kissing
• Swimming pools
• Showers, washing machines or toilet seats

So it is safe to live with a person with hep C, or work, or go to school with them.

The risk of getting hepatitis C from sex is extremely low, but there is a small possibility if blood is present.

There is a small risk that a mother with hepatitis C passes it on to her baby during pregnancy or birth.