Most don't realize they are infected until routine blood tests indicate liver cells are dying. Hepatitis C lingers in the liver in the majority of infected people. It too can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. Before 1992, when a sensitive blood test was first used to detect infected blood, transfusions caused the greatest number of infections. Contaminated injection needles are another source of infection.
Pregnant women can infect the fetus.
The Hepatitis Foundation International furnishes in-depth discussions of all hepatitis infections.