Hepatitis C Channel
Topics & Medications
Quicklinks
Related Channels
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.
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.
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.)
Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD