Should I get tested?
Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the blood-borne hepatitis C virus. Over time, it can lead to serious liver disease including liver failure and liver cancer.
There are about 117,810 Australians living with hepatitis C.
1 in 5 people with hepatitis C don't know they have it.
You may have been exposed to the virus and not realise it. Exposure can happen through:
- sharing injecting equipment
- unsterile tattooing
- home body piercing or body art
- medical, dental or cosmetic procedures with unsterile equipment
- blood transfusions before 1990 or
- any situation where open cuts or wounds might have been exposed to another person’s blood.
If you don’t know your status and don’t know if you might have been at risk, consider taking a test.
Start by talking to your doctor.
For more information on hepatitis C tests, why they're done and what the results mean visit our Hepatitis C Testing page.
Hepatitis C Self-Assessment Guide
In 2016, almost 9000 South Australians were living with hepatitis C. Since then about half have been cured with highly effective new drugs.
Some 5,520 South Australians have yet to be cured of their hepatitis C.
This self-assessment guide will help you find out if you may have been exposed to the hepatitis C virus. It will only take a few minutes and is completely anonymous.
