IS HEPATITIS C LIKE A HOT KNIFE THROUGH BUTTER (A SILENT KILLER)

Hepatitis C virus belongs to the flavi virus family. Hepatitis C virus is known as Non-A and Non-B hepatitis. It exists in six genotypes with different worldwide distribution. It is a curable disease.HCV is the common cause of transfusion and liver transplant-associated hepatitis. It can also be considered as STD and can be transmitted at birth from an HCV infected mother. Acute disease is usually mild but 70% of those infected develop chronic disease. A high percentage of individuals had an asymptomatic disease that leads to cirrhosis and liver failure. Hence each year, the percutaneous injury resulted in around 16,000 HCV and caused about 8000 deaths in the USA. Clinically acute infection with HCV is milder than infection with HBV (1).