Currently there is no vaccine that protects against hepatitis C, although preventive measures can be taken to reduce the risk of contracting the disease. Unprotected vaginal and anal sex can lead to sexually transmitted infections, but is it the same with oral sex?
Hepatitis C is spread by coming into contact with someone else’s blood. If infected blood from one person enters the other person’s bloodstream, that person can become infected.
In general, the risk of transmitting hepatitis C during any type of sexual activity is low. Although it is very unlikely, infection could occur during oral sex if someone with hepatitis C has cracks and bleeding from the lips and, in turn, the partner or partner has an open wound.
Of course, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis C is not transmitted through kisses or saliva.
Hepatitis C is a virus that affects the liver
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C infections globally and just under 400,000 die each year from hepatitis C-related liver diseases.
There is no direct scientific evidence to show that hepatitis C is transmitted only by oral route. However, caution should be exercised whenever blood is present, as we could still become infected.
If either of our sexual partners has a break in the skin, there may be a risk of blood passing from one person to another.
Additional risk factors may include: menstruation, bleeding from the mouth or gums, a throat infection, cold sores, genital warts or herpes, or damaged and cracked lips
The risk of contracting or transmitting hepatitis C from one person to another during oral sex is very low. This is particularly true in couples with monogamous relationships.
Knowing how hepatitis C is transferred from one person to another, as well as understanding safer sexual practices, can further reduce the risk of infection.
Risk factor’s
-A person with an acute infection due to the hepatitis C virus
-A high viral load
-Individuals who have multiple sexual partners
-Do not use barrier protection, such as condoms, during sexual activity
-Extreme sexual activities
-Have already a sexually transmitted infection or HIV
How is hepatitis C transmitted?
Although the transmission of hepatitis C through sexual contact is rare, there are many other ways that we can become infected.
The hepatitis C virus lives in the blood and in certain body fluids. Thus, the exchange of semen can also cause infection , although the chances of this happening are very rare.
In addition to sexual contact, we can also become infected with the hepatitis C virus through: injection of drugs, the use of intranasal drugs or inhalation of drugs, unregulated or unhealthy tattoos and body piercings, being born to a mother infected with the virus, sharing razors, toothbrushes and grooming scissors or when breastfeeding, only if the nipples are cracked or bleeding, as it is not transmitted in breast milk.
A person with hepatitis C should always take extra precautions during sexual activity to limit the risk of transmitting the disease to another person.
