The Hepatitis C virus is 4 to 5 times more likely to infect you than the general public.
Many times there are no symptoms until it is too late.
The V.A. offers free test kits. It is a silent epidemic. It can lie dormant in the body for years. Victims usually find they have contracted it when elevated liver enzymes turn up on routine blood tests, or when a positive Hepatitis C antibody is found during the course of a blood donation. The study shows that if you know you are infected with Hepatitis C, if you can make the decision to limit drinking alcohol and avoid risky behavior, and if you go on interferon or ribavirin treatment, the liver will improve.