Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C causes
Hepatitis C is caused by a virus. If you get infected with this virus, the virus travels through your blood to your liver, where it causes inflammation.
How hepatitis C spreads
Hepatitis C spreads through blood-to-blood contact – that is, when people come into contact with the blood of someone who has the virus.
The most common way that children get hepatitis C is from mothers who pass the virus on to their babies during pregnancy or at birth.
There’s also a very small risk of hepatitis C infection from accidental contact with a discarded needle.
Hepatitis C is rare in children. It’s most common among adults who inject drugs and share contaminated needles.
Hepatitis C symptoms
Most children infected with hepatitis C won’t have symptoms.
Older children and teenagers might have mild symptoms like tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea and pain in the top right area of their stomachs, where the liver is.
Very rarely, children can get a severe hepatitis C infection.
Does your child need to see a doctor about hepatitis C?
You should take your child to the doctor if your child:
- develops yellow skin or eyes – this is called jaundice
- has very dark brown urine
- has stomach pain that continues longer than a few days
- comes into contact with a discarded needle.
You should also speak to your doctor if you think you might have been exposed to hepatitis C during your pregnancy.
Tests for hepatitis C
If the doctor thinks that your child’s symptoms might be caused by hepatitis C or that your child might have been exposed to hepatitis C, your child will need blood tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment for hepatitis C
Some children with hepatitis C get over the infection without any treatment. This could take weeks or months. But most children with hepatitis C go on to have chronic hepatitis C. This puts them at risk of liver scarring, liver failure (cirrhosis) and liver cancer when they’re older.
Effective and safe anti-viral medications are now available to treat chronic hepatitis C in adults. These medications can cure the infection in most people. Health professionals might consider prescribing them for some older children.
Your doctor might refer you to a specialist with experience in treating hepatitis C.
Hepatitis C prevention
There is no immunisation for hepatitis C.
If you have hepatitis C and are thinking about pregnancy, you should discuss treatment options with your doctor. Women who have hepatitis C can safely breastfeed unless their nipples are cracked or bleeding.
If your child comes into contact with a used needle, use soap and water to wash your child’s skin where the contact happened. Then see your doctor.
Your child should not share toothbrushes, razors or other items that belong to someone who has hepatitis C, because these things might be contaminated with infected blood.
