Hepatitis C saliva

[kikmelinda1289]

I have an instructor who has a husband with hepatitis c. She says she does not have it but she spits alot when she talks. I have eczema on my hands and one time she wiped her mouth and touched my hand. Her husband came by one time he had a toothpick in his mouth.  He also touched his mouth. He touched the back of my shirt and a paper I had. I didn't know he had it then. I went home and washed my hands with a body wash but that was months ago. I touched the top of the body wash and I feel like if anyone else in my house used the liquid soap after I touched all those things the husband touched they could get it too. I also laid the paper hr touched on a table. I ran out of bleach to clean everything.  I know it lives outside the body a while and hard to kill with just soap. I have been so worried.

[kikmelinda1289]

I just feel  like anything that is on my hands spread to my house on the doorknob and the body wash. My mother opened the body wash and is using it as hand soap. I just feel like he shouldn't have been touching his mouth saliva could have blood in it from toothbrushing or the toothpick. Then touching other people.  I should throw out the soap bottle and dispenser. I just keep thinking about the clothes I washed in the washing machine.  Im ocd but I know Hepatitis C is more contagious than Hiv because it does not die from cleaning products. I ran out of bleach. I just keep worrying about infected my family. I just feel like the man should be more careful if he knew he had it. I have ocd n the instructor knew that so why would he even do that. I dont like my life being threatened.

[Livelife777]

I was married for 20 years, and my husband and children never got my
Hep C.   Even in childbirth!  I would guess the odds of you getting the virus as you have described, would be 100 billion to 1.
Please don't worry.  If there were any doubt at all, I would suggest you get tested.   Enjoy your life and rest assured, you are AOK.
...Kim..

[flyinlynn]

Hi

Here is a link you may find helpful

http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/c/cfaq.htm

it says in part:

How is Hepatitis C spread?

Hepatitis C is usually spread when blood from a person infected with the Hepatitis C virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Today, most people become infected with the Hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs. Before 1992, when widespread screening of the blood supply began in the United States, Hepatitis C was also commonly spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants.

People can become infected with the Hepatitis C virus during such activities as

•Sharing needles, syringes, or other equipment to inject drugs
•Needlestick injuries in health care settings
•Being born to a mother who has Hepatitis C

Less commonly, a person can also get Hepatitis C virus infection through

•Sharing personal care items that may have come in contact with another person’s blood, such as razors or toothbrushes
•Having sexual contact with a person infected with the Hepatitis C virus

hope that helps
Lynn

[orphanedhawk]

Hep C is spread via blood to blood transmission.
Many of us had it for years without knowing it and didn't pass it on to my family or friends.

No need to fret, get the facts straight so you don't need to worry. Worrying isn't good for your health.

[Neal88]

I know this post is from some years ago. But I have a question. I have this man in my church that has hep c. He came in with a bottle of water. With flavoring in it and wanted me to try it. I can’t remember if I took a drink. Could I be infected.

[flyinlynn]

From the CDC web page Hepatitis c FAQ for the general public

“Hepatitis C virus is not spread by sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. It is also not spread through food or water.”

Hepatitis C is a blood borne illness. Hepatitis C infected blood must enter the blood stream of an uninfected person. Hepatitis C is not that easily transmitted if it were many more people than less than 1% of the US population would have hepatitis c

You are not at risk

[Neal88]

Thanks. what if I had a canker sore on the side of my cheek,  or on the bottom of my inner lip? The thing that really bothers me is I can’t remember. The fact of not knowing scares me

[flyinlynn]

Hep c transmission requires blood infected with the virus to enter the blood stream of an uninfected person. It is highly doubtful this would have occurred in the situation you have described.

There haven’t been any know transmission in the manner you have described. As mentioned above the CDC says kissing and sharing of utensils  isn’t a risk so sharing a beverage is that much less so.

Even in the situation where a health care worker experiences an accidental needle stick involving a patient with known hep c the odds of transmission are only 1.8%.

If concerned wait 12 weeks and have a hepatitis c antibody test.

Just curious if your friend is planning on treating their hep c as the meds approved over the last five years hep c is today very curable for most people. Or if they have already treated their hep c they have nothing to transmit as they are no longer infected.

[flyinlynn]

But don't just my word for it, I found this on a web site called very well health:

“Sharing a drink or other eating utensils with someone who has hepatitis C will not put you at risk for contracting the disease. Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected blood, so unless there is blood on the glass and it contacted on an open wound in your mouth, there is no risk of infection.”

[flyinlynn]

Also do you have such a sore? But even if you did an open wound is one that is actively bleeding so it would have to be more than just a canker sore and you would have to come into contact with blood.

They would also have to have a actively bleeding cut and that blood would have to be on the bottle and that area of the bottle with blood would have to push that blood into your upen wet bleeding wound.

So all in all very unlikely