Hepatitis C

  • Hepatitis C is a virus that is mainly passed on through blood-to-blood contact. There is also a small chance that it can be passed on through sex, particularly anal sex. The danger with hepatitis C is that it causes no symptoms, but in the longer term it can cause serious damage to your liver and greatly increases the risk of liver cancer. Hepatitis C has been treatable with good results for some years now. We refer you to a gastroenterologist for this. There is no vaccine available for hepatitis C. 

  • Hepatitis C is a virus that can be passed on through blood-to-blood contact. It can also be passed on through sex, but the chance is small. We see hepatitis C more often in people who also have HIV.

  • Hepatitis C is mainly passed on through blood-to-blood contact. This can happen, for example, by using needles from someone with hepatitis C. It can also be passed on through sex, but the chance of this is relatively small. In practice, we almost only see transmission through sex in men who have sex with men. We find hepatitis C slightly more often in people living with HIV.

  • At ZIZ we have not yet found a single hepatitis C infection in the past two years. Across the Netherlands, a total of 33 hepatitis C infections were found in 2023. In half of these, transmission probably took place through sex. 

  • In most cases hepatitis C causes no symptoms; in some cases there can be a period of yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice). Other symptoms are dark urine, abdominal pain, nausea and tiredness. 

  • You test for hepatitis C with a blood test. At ZIZ we test for antibodies. If you have had hepatitis C before, we use a PCR test to look for the virus itself. 

  • Antibodies can be present from 8 weeks onwards, but in most people this is only the case after two to six months.

  • Good treatment for hepatitis C has recently become available. We refer you to a gastroenterologist for this. Once cured, you are not protected and can get hepatitis C again.

  • Hepatitis C is a notifiable disease. If we find hepatitis C, the GGD will start source and contact tracing.

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