The hepatitis C Virus (HCV) is of the genus Hepacivirus, family Flaviviridae. It is an RNA virus with at least six different genotypes. HCV is responsible for between 15% to 20% of all cases of acute hepatitis. It is also the most common cause of chronic liver disease. HCV is also the most common cause of post-transfusion hepatitis in the US.
As of 2016, there were around 2.4 million individuals in the US that are living with HCV. About 3,000 new cases of acute HCV are reported annually to the CDC. The overall incident rate is approximately 1 case per 100,000 people in the general population. This is an increase from 2015 when it was 0.8 per 100,000 population but cases are likely underreported. According to the CDC, HCV is now more prevalent in the US than HBV. The number of chronic HBV infections is estimated to be around 862,000 while the number of chronic HCV infections is estimated to be around 2.4 million. This is partially due to the lack of a vaccine against HCV, and a higher rate of chronic HCV infections compared to HBV.
HCV is transmitted mainly through exposure to infectious blood or bodily fluids. Since this is similar to HBV, the modes of transmission and the populations at risk are similar between the two diseases. For more information, visit this
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