Many people are living with hepatitis C. If you have hepatitis C, there are several important things that you can do to help yourself and others such as:
- Eat a healthy diet and to get plenty of rest.
-
To avoid further liver damage:
- Do not drink alcohol
- Do not take medicine that can cause liver damage (these can be identified by your health-care professional).
- Get vaccinated against hepatitis A & B if you are not already immune.
- Do not to pass the infection to anyone else by taking the following precautions, such as:
- Do not share toothbrushes or razors with others.
- Do not to let anyone else come into contact with your blood, urine or feces.
- Use condoms during sexual activity
- Limit the number of sex partners you have.
- If you use injection drugs, you do not share needles or syringes with anyone else.
- It is best to not get tattoos or body piercings.
Although often uncomfortable, you should notify your partner of your hepatitis C prior to having sex. You also must notify all your health-care professionals of your infection, so they can take precautions.
What if I'm pregnant and I have hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C can be passed from a mother to her child during pregnancy and during delivery. Of all mothers who have antibodies to hepatitis C virus. Per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), approximately 6 of every 100 infants born to HCV-infected mothers become infected with the virus. The risk is two to three times greater when the mother has HIV as well. You and your doctor should discuss and decide if you should receive treatment for hepatitis C during your pregnancy.
