STD: The Facts
The following information was provided in part by the Medical Institute for Sexual Health. For more information please visit their website at www.medinstitute.org.

NOTE: If you have been sexually active or you think you may have been exposed to a sexually transmitted disease, see your physician for a complete medical exam.
Hepatitis C
  • Hepatitis C is the most common chronic bloodborne infection in the U.S.; it can also be transmitted during sexual activity. The most common method of infection is sharing needles while shooting drugs, but you can also get it if a previously used (unsterile) needle is used on you for a tattoo or body piercing. Hepatitis C can be transmitted during sexual activity as well. The more sex partners, the greater the risk. However, you don't get it from the type of casual contact you have at school.
  • Am I safe if I always use a condom?
    There aren't many studies on this, but considering the way hepatitis C is transmitted, condoms would not be expected to eliminate your risk of infection, though they might reduce it some.
  • When first infected, you may or may not have symptoms. About four out of every five people develop serious chronic infections. Even with no symptoms, you can still pass the disease to anyone with whom you have sex. The infection causes liver damage, which may make your skin and eyes turn yellow (jaundice), and make you feel tired and nauseated. These infections can also cause cancer and death.
  • There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C. Although, there are a number of drugs that can be used to treat hepatitis C, they're expensive, have to be used for a long time, have side effects and don't always work.
  • Don't shoot drugs. Never get a tattoo or body piercing from a place that does not have a current inspection certificate from your local health department.