Question

Which of the following statements is not correct with respect to Hepatitis C?

1. It is caused by a virus.
2. Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver cancer.
3. The most common modes of infection are through exposure to small quantities of blood.
4. Hepatitis C can be prevented by vaccines.

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 4 : Hepatitis C can be prevented by vaccines.

The correct answer is Hepatitis C can be prevented by vaccines.

• Hepatitis C :
  • Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV): the virus can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis, ranging in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. Hence statement 1 is correct.
  • Hepatitis C is a major cause of liver cancer. Hence statement 2 is correct.
  • The hepatitis C virus is a bloodborne virus: the most common modes of infection are through exposure to small quantities of blood. Hence statement 3 is correct.
  • This may happen through injection drug use, unsafe injection practices, unsafe health care, transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products, and sexual practices that lead to exposure to blood.
  • Globally, an estimated 71 million people have chronic hepatitis C virus infection.
  • A significant number of those who are chronically infected will develop cirrhosis or liver cancer.
  • WHO estimated that in 2016, approximately 399 000 people died from hepatitis C, mostly from cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer).
  • Antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of persons with hepatitis C infection, thereby reducing the risk of death from cirrhosis and liver cancer, but access to diagnosis and treatment is low.
  • There is currently no effective vaccine against hepatitis C; however, research in this area is ongoing. Hence statement 4 is incorrect.

• Hepatitis B :
  • Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can cause both acute and chronic disease.
  • The virus is most commonly transmitted from mother to child during birth and delivery, as well as through contact with blood or other body fluids, including sex with an infected partner, injection-drug use that involves sharing needles, syringes, or drug-preparation equipment and needle sticks or exposures to sharp instruments.
  • According to the latest WHO estimates, the proportion of children under five years of age chronically infected with HBV dropped to just under 1% in 2019 down from around 5% in the pre-vaccine era ranging from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
  • Hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccines that are safe, available and effective. 
  • Preventing hepatitis B infection averts the development of complications including the development of chronic disease and liver cancer.