Hepatitis C From a Kiss

You cannot get hepatitis C from a kiss, or from other everyday activities like shaking hands or hugging. Hepatitis C is spread mostly through contact with blood that's infected with the hepatitis C virus.

Hepatitis C From a Kiss: A Summary

You cannot get hepatitis C from a kiss. In fact, transmission of hepatitis C does not occur through everyday activities such as kissing, hugging, shaking hands, or even using an infected person's eating utensils.
 

How Is Hepatitis C Spread?

Hepatitis C is spread mostly through contact with blood infected with the
 hepatitis C virus. People at increased risk for coming into contact with infected blood include those that work in a dialysis unit or laboratory. In rare cases, people have been infected by sharing objects that may have a very small amount of blood, such as:
 
  • A razor
  • A toothbrush
  • Tools used for manicures.
     
People used to get hepatitis C through blood transfusions. Today, due to improved screening of donated blood, that is extremely rare.
 
(For more information about how hepatitis C is spread, see the eMedTV article Hepatitis C Transmission.)
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
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