Hepatitis C isn’t just linked to injecting drug use

Thursday, 30 January, 2025.

Photo courtesy: Unsplash.

In 2022, it was estimated that roughly 74,000 Australians were living with hepatitis C. Thankfully, the rate of hep C infections appear to be on the decline. But, if Australia plans to meet its goal of eradicating hep C by 2030, then communities must stay cautious.

Unfortunately, there are still misconceptions and unknowns about what hep C is, and importantly, how you can contract it in society. But it’s not anybody’s fault. This is a complicated virus and it’s hard to keep track of some of the more unusual ways that hep C spreads.

Thanks to health messaging for blood-borne viruses, such as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, you’ve probably heard a lot about the risk of getting blood-borne viruses from reused fits and injecting drug use.

Blood-borne viruses are passed on through blood-to-blood contact, so needles are a common way these illnesses spread.

But, we use needles for a whole range of things: body piercings, tattoos, cosmetic surgery, and some medications like insulin, or Ozempic. If you or the people giving these body enhancements are not careful, you could get a blood-borne virus. So we’re here with some lesser known facts about hep C for our readers. 

The rise in cosmetic surgeries

The high cost of cosmetic surgeries and the pressures in modern society to look a certain way has led to a lot of dodgy people capitalising on people’s image-based anxieties and offering unsafe services.

Media reports have exposed numerous cases of unqualified people providing cosmetic surgery services in homes and hotel rooms across Australia, prompting concern among health experts about the possible spread of blood-borne viruses.

Discreet services like this are a fairly obvious red flag. But it’s not always so easy to tell who is authentic and who is not, who cares about your health and who does not, who disinfects all surfaces and uses a new sterile injection needle every time and who does not. Some shonky operators run official-looking businesses.

In September and October last year, health authorities forcibly closed a number of cosmetic clinics in Sydney due to unsafe injecting practices, the use of expired medication, the employment of unqualified staff and a failure to keep patient records. Complaints from patients, who required medical care following surgeries at these clinics, prompted the crack down by Australian authorities.

(For more insights into these bodgy clinics, it’s worth watching the Four Corners documentary Cosmetic Cowboys: The unregulated world of cosmetic surgery. Scary stuff!)

One final note on cosmetic surgeries and blood-borne viruses: people like to go overseas to get cosmetic surgeries, such as Botox injections, dermal fillers, breast reductions, breast implants and liposuction, cheaply. Health experts sometimes issue public warnings about this practice because some countries don’t have the same hygiene standards and enforcement capabilities that we have in Australia.

This is, of course, a massive generalisation, and Australian beauty services aren’t always perfect either. You certainly can get cheap cosmetic surgeries elsewhere without any risk of contracting a blood-borne virus. But it’s just not worth the risk.

The bottom line is it’s really important to do your research first before approaching a cosmetic surgeon in Australia or overseas. Ask around. Check Google.

Backyard body modifications

When it comes to body piercings and tattoos, it’s much safer to go to a licensed tattoo parlour, beauty parlour or chemist (for a piercing, so long as they use a needle and not a piercing gun) than to an unlicensed backyard operator.

As we explored in a recent Users News article, you’re truly rolling the dice with hep C if you get a piercing or some fresh ink in jail.

Why? As tattooing other inmates is not legal, it’s done in secrecy. It means prison tattooing carries the same health risks as injecting drugs inside. You’re more likely to encounter unsanitary equipment and reused needles in a jail cell than in a licensed tattoo parlour. The exchange and reuse of handmade injecting and tattoo equipment is rife in prisons. This is a problem because the percentage of people in Australian prisons with hep C is far higher than infection rates in the general population.

Moreover, data suggests that those who inject drugs are more likely to get a prison tattoo than others. Both activities involve needles, which, if shared, can spread hep C. 

It’s not always needles

Hep C is primarily passed through blood-to-blood contact. That’s why needles are such a high risk. However, needles are the only thing that cause people to bleed.

Fights, physical contact sports, an accident with a sharp implement (e.g a knife or scissors) are all hep C risks.

You might have seen in some professional sports, like rugby, they take care to clean up any bloody injuries as quickly as possible and bleeding players are removed from the field. This is to reduce the risk of spreading blood borne viruses.

Of course, accidently cutting yourself at home while alone is probably not going to result in hep C but certain places have higher risks.

Prison, for example, is a high risk environment for hepatitis C because a really high percentage of inmates carry the illness. Something as simple as a fight in jail can spread hep C. Cuts and open wounds from fights can cause an exchange of blood. If one of the people involved has hep C, there’s a real risk that the other people involved could get hep C. On the inside, sharing personal hygiene items that might have blood on them, such as razors, hair clippers, nail scissors or toothbrushes, is also a hep C risk.

Like with cosmetic surgery, hep C risks are also higher in countries with less health regulations or a lack of treatment options for Hep C. While most tourists aren’t going to receive medical procedures, like blood transfusions, while traveling, other more mundane activities, such as acupuncture or getting a shave at a barber, remain a hep C risk.

Although rare, it is possible to pass on hep C through sex if there are open cuts or sores on genitalia. It’s much less likely than with other viruses (such as HIV/AIDS), but sexual transmission is still possible. It’s vital you always use a condom when having sex if you or a sexual partner has a blood-borne virus.

Hep C: the ‘silent’ disease

Hepatitis C is sometimes called a “silent” disease because many people with the virus don’t show symptoms until it causes liver damage.

It’s possible to have the infection for years without knowing it. It’s therefore always worth getting tested, even if you generally feel ok.

At first, the symptoms can be mild and not so different from common illnesses such as a cold or the flu. These signs can include a loss of appetite, nausea, tiredness, stomach pain and a yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice).

Hepatitis C also increases the risk for other health conditions (beyond the liver problems commonly linked to hep C). If you have hep C, you have a higher risk of also getting kidney disease, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Because the virus can affect the entire body, it’s essential you get tested regularly for hep C. If you’ve spent time locked up, you inject drugs or you think you may have gotten a sus body enhancement procedure, getting a hep C test is especially important. Remember: hep C is highly treatable but it’s best to catch it early. Hep C testing is quick and free so don’t delay.