Disease Prevention
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis C virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. Hepatitis C is spread when blood from a person infected with the hepatitis C virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Most people become infected with the hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs. People have also become infected with the hepatitis C virus from body piercing or tattoos that were done in prisons, homes, or in other unlicensed or informal facilities. In rare cases, hepatitis C may be sexually transmitted. Babies born to mothers with hepatitis C can get infected during childbirth.
In 2012, CDC started recommending hepatitis C testing for everyone born from 1945 – 1965. While anyone can get hepatitis C, up to 75% of adults infected with hepatitis C were born from 1945 – 1965. The reason that baby boomers have high rates of hepatitis C is not completely understood. Most boomers are believed to have become infected in the 1970s and 1980s when rates of hepatitis C were the highest. 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.
- Hepatitis C Information – Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
- Utah Hepatitis C Resource Guide – Updated October 2018
- Utah Hepatitis C Resource Guide – Print Version
To print booklet: print out pages one-sided, then reverse every other page 180º, copy 1-to-2 sided, fold down the middle and staple. - Utah Syringe Exchange Program
- Hep Mag – Hepatitis C Prevention
- HCV Advocate – Hepatitis C Prevention
If you need hepatitis A, B, or C educational materials or a speaker on hepatitis C or viral hepatitis, please contact us:
Phone: 801-538-6194 or Email: hbush@utah.gov
We offer HIV/STD/hepatitis C training courses that provide factual information on prevention, transmission, testing and treatment free for the public. See below to sign up.
Steps for sign-up
- Click here to check out our courses.
- Contact UDOH for time/place: 801-538-6191.
- Send an Email: pmontagu@utah.gov.
- Important – Fill out the registration form below before attending.
- Registration Form
Contact UDOH for more information.
Phone: 801-538-6191
Email: hbush@utah.gov