Hepatitis is transmitted through kissing. Hepatitis C: is it possible to get infected through a kiss? If infection occurs, is it possible not to get hepatitis C?

Today, seven strains are known, designated by letters of the Latin alphabet, the most common of which are A, B, C.

Methods of transmission of the virus

The main cause of hepatitis C infection is blood, as it contains large amounts of the virus.

The disease occurs through:

blood molecules containing the virus when they enter a favorable, healthy environment. Suitable for this the slightest damage human skin and oral mucosa;
transfusion donor plasma or blood;
during difficult births with pathologies;
unprotected sexual intercourse;
use of untreated instruments in cosmetology and medical institutions;
using other people's hygiene products.

It must be remembered that pathogenic elements, albeit in small quantities, are contained in other human biological fluids: urine, saliva, semen, female secretions, etc. The following have a high risk of infection with low immunity:

medical workers who encounter infected tissues in their line of work;
persons who use narcotic drugs through injection, using reusable disposable syringes;
in places of detention.

Can hepatitis be transmitted through saliva?

The risk of contracting hepatitis C through saliva is minimal. As previously mentioned, the virus is present in all biological fluids of the body, but its greatest concentration is in the blood. The virus content in saliva is insignificant, so the risk of contracting hepatitis C and B, transmitted through a kiss, is minimal. However, you need to remember that if there are inflammatory processes or any damage to the mucous membrane, the likelihood of infection increases.

A particular risk of blood infection arises when sharing toothbrushes, since their villi may contain residues of biological fluid with a fairly tenacious virus, even in its dried drops. To avoid infection with hepatitis C through saliva, you need to refrain from contact with a sick person until he recovers (the same applies to the B virus).

First symptoms of infection

Unfortunately, a person who has become infected with the hepatitis C virus may not immediately recognize it, since the first signs of infection are quite common. Symptoms are expressed in deteriorating health:

increased body temperature;
abdominal pain;
frequent vomiting;
loss of appetite;
diarrhea, etc.

The initial stage of the disease is often confused with signs of the flu. Manifestation of jaundice - the whites of the eyes and skin become jaundiced, the urine becomes dark, and lightening of the stool may indicate a dangerous virus.

Hepatitis has two forms: acute and chronic. With a low level of immunity and the body’s inability to cope with the disease by producing antibodies, signs are not detected, which becomes the cause of the development of chronic hepatitis. It is important to know that you can become infected again.

To avoid infection dangerous virus With, you need to follow simple rules:

wash your hands with soap before eating;
eat right;
exercise;
drink boiled water and eat thermally processed foods;
do not abuse alcohol;
support protective functions immunity;
use only personal hygiene products;
friends and relatives should not give your files, scissors, toothbrush etc.;
monitor the sterility of medical devices;
when visiting medical institutions, dentistry, beauty salons, tattoos and various procedures Insist that instruments are disinfected in your presence.

It is strongly recommended to use protection during sexual intercourse. The use of protective equipment will allow you to avoid contracting not only hepatitis, but also other various infections transmitted during sex. Additionally, you should take tests and undergo an examination. An annual professional examination, required in some jobs, can help detect illness early.

Dec 21

Can you get hepatitis C through saliva?

Hepatitis C is a disease that is widespread throughout the world and is recognized as very serious and dangerous. More than 170 million people on the planet are carriers of the chronic form of this disease. And therefore, our contemporaries are increasingly making assumptions about where this disease is most likely to be “caught”, whether it is possible to become infected with hepatitis C through saliva, whether the disease is transmitted from mother to newborn child, etc. We will try to highlight each of these aspects.

How is the disease transmitted, and where can you get it?

The hepatitis C virus is contained in the blood, as well as in all other biological fluids of the patient. And therefore, infection can only occur if the blood of a sick person gets on damaged mucous membranes or on the skin of a healthy person. If there are no damage (even microscopic) to the skin or mucous membranes, then infection will not occur. Regarding biological fluids such as semen, saliva, female discharge etc., then they also contain the hepatitis C virus, but in a concentration insufficient to infect a healthy person. And therefore it is believed that an individual who communicates with a carrier of the virus at the everyday level is outside the risk zone.

If you believe the statistics, the highest percentage of hepatitis C infection is observed in places of detention, as well as in places of group injection drug use. In addition, you can get this disease after visiting a cheap and unreliable tattoo parlor where you got a tattoo or, for example, a piercing. There is also a certain danger of becoming infected in medical institutions (however, this is currently only relevant for developing countries), and employees of these institutions are primarily at risk.

In addition, infection can occur through sexual intercourse, the bite of a blood-sucking insect, inhalation of certain drugs (primarily cocaine, which destroys the blood vessels of the nose), as a result of participation in a fight, or in a serious car accident. However, the likelihood of such an infection is very small, and therefore many doctors do not even consider it seriously.

Is it possible to “catch” the virus at home?

Now let's briefly talk about whether you can become infected with hepatitis C through saliva or through surrounding objects. This is enough actual question, since it is not uncommon for healthy people to communicate with a sick person at the everyday level (and sometimes they do not even know about his illness).

According to experts, hepatitis C (as opposed to forms A and B) by airborne droplets not getting through. That is, you do not risk becoming infected simply by talking with an infected person, sharing things and objects, touching him or even kissing him. However, it is important to remember that any damage to the oral cavity, abrasions, scratches, as well as untreated caries, significantly increase the risk of infection. In addition, from this point of view, those sharp, piercing or cutting objects that you use in everyday life - knives, razors, toothbrushes - can be dangerous.

The risk of infection through sexual intercourse is completely negligible - according to professional doctors, the probability of infection in in this case does not exceed 1%. And if we talk about the likelihood of a newborn child becoming infected from an infected mother, then the risk level here reaches 5% (and infection can only occur during the fetal passage birth canal).

...Thus, a person suffering from hepatitis C should not give up social life. And you may well continue to communicate with patients - if you approach the organization of spending time together seriously and responsibly, the risk will be minimized.

Having identified hepatitis, the patient immediately tries to protect himself from all contacts with his relatives and friends, because not everyone knows about the routes of transmission of the virus, and whether hepatitis B is transmitted through kissing through saliva.

Hepatitis B is a viral disease caused by a virus from the hepadnavirus family. It is very resistant to temperature changes and other negative impacts environment, and medicines.

The number of infected people is constantly growing, hepatitis B has become a global problem for health authorities, since treatment of this disease can only help initial stage. But the difficulty in treatment lies in the fact that immediately after infection a person may not suspect that he is a carrier of hepatitis B and only find out about it when serious liver diseases occur.

The main route of infection is the blood of an infected person entering the blood of a healthy person, for example, through a blood transfusion. Moreover, the virus in the human body is present not only in the blood, but also in saliva, urine, menstrual flow and seminal fluid. This is why you can become infected with hepatitis B in different ways.

Since it is impossible to determine visually or not upon initial acquaintance with a person, many are concerned about the question of whether the virus is transmitted through a kiss.

There have been no official cases of infection through saliva, although small dose The virus may be present in the patient's saliva.

Important! In severe cases of hepatitis B, the patient’s body produces a large amount of the virus, which can lead to infection of his partner during a kiss.

When infection through a kiss is very likely:

The chances of becoming infected through a kiss increase if there are gum injuries or bleeding wounds in both partners, since the virus is transmitted through blood. In this case, the patient’s blood can freely enter the body of a healthy person through the wound;
if the percentage of the virus in the patient’s body is very high, then there will be a small concentration of the virus in the saliva, which will lead to infection of the partner through a kiss.

Let's look at how the hepatitis virus is transmitted.

Routes of infection

There are several ways of contracting this disease.

The virus is transmitted both from the carrier to healthy person, so by everyday means through common objects that contain contaminated particles.

The main modes of transmission of virus B are:

through blood, when the blood of a sick person enters the blood of a healthy person. This can happen when using unsterile medical instruments and syringes; as a rule, hepatitis is common among drug addicts. You can also become infected during a blood transfusion, as well as through cuts and scratches, for example, when using someone else's personal hygiene items if they contain the patient's blood (razor, scissors or manicure set);
infection after unprotected sexual intercourse. Since the virus may be contained in semen or vaginal discharge it is transmitted sexually;

when visiting a dental office or nail salon. Since the patient’s blood can remain on the instruments, in these institutions one can easily catch the virus, because the bur machine, as well as manicure instruments, are not sterilized;
perinatal route. If childbirth occurs with complications, then the probability of infection of the child from a mother who is a carrier of the hepatitis B virus is high. After all, a child, passing through the birth canal, comes into contact with mucus, as well as the mother’s blood;
through a kiss. Since the hepatitis B virus can be contained in saliva at high concentrations in the body, there is a risk of infection through kissing, especially if there are wounds and other damage to the mucous membrane in the mouth. If the patient has mild degree illness and there is no damage to the mucous membrane, in this case the likelihood of infection is minimal.

Many people who have never encountered hepatitis B in their lives do not even imagine the threat it poses, therefore very often they do not follow precautionary measures and do not even know how the virus is transmitted. Let's look at what this disease entails.

Danger of hepatitis

Hepatitis B can occur in several forms, in which different symptoms and the degree of their expression:

chronic form characterized long absence any symptoms (about 6 months);
acute form has several stages from mild to severe, with various symptoms appearing from jaundice to liver failure;
The instant form is characterized by the unexpected death of the patient, because in a short period of time the patient experiences cerebral edema, without the prior appearance of symptoms.

How can hepatitis B be dangerous?

This viral disease dangerous if diagnosed late stage, because then it will be too late to carry out treatment. In this case, cirrhosis or liver cancer, cerebral edema, as well as other disorders in the body develop, such as myocarditis, arthritis, arthrosis, vascular and kidney diseases, including renal failure. Such complications increase the risk fatal outcome.

Since the hepatitis B virus is sometimes transmitted through saliva, you should not risk kissing someone who is infected. It is especially worth giving up kissing if there are wounds on the lips, mouth, or problems with the gums, because this is a direct route for various viruses to enter.

Since this disease is difficult to treat, and new effective drugs that increase the likelihood of recovery cost a lot of money, the only way Stopping the hepatitis B epidemic is vaccination.

A kiss is not only an expression of feelings, but also part of the culture of some peoples. However, such a harmless action sometimes becomes the cause of serious illnesses, since infections and viruses are transmitted through the contact of lips. In particular, there is a possibility of contracting hepatitis C through a kiss, but this requires certain conditions.

What is the likelihood of contracting hepatitis C through a kiss?

In general, hepatitis C is transmitted through donated blood - therefore, carriers of the virus will never become blood or organ donors. Another common way of transmitting the disease is through the use of a single needle - this usually occurs among drug addicts, where hygiene is out of the question. However, even in dubious tattoo parlors, transmission of hepatitis through the needle of a tattoo machine or when piercing the skin during piercing is not uncommon, if Consumables used more than once to save money. (for all types of sex). If the mother is sick, then there is a high chance of transmitting the virus to the child, and with milk pathogenic organisms cannot be transferred.

Infection through a kiss - a rare event, since the concentration of pathogenic microorganisms in saliva is less than in the blood. Nevertheless, such cases do occur, and the risk especially increases during an exacerbation of infection, since the number of viruses in biological material increases noticeably. Thus, the desire to kiss can turn into infection.

If a person kissed someone with hepatitis C and his oral mucosa was injured, that’s a different story. In this case, the virus can easily enter the body through a kiss. This happens if the partner is sick with stomatitis or has wounds on the mucous membranes - hepatitis C penetrates through the blood, that is, blood contact and direct transmission of the virus from person to person occurs.

There are two ways of transmitting the disease through a kiss:

if there are unhealed wounds in the oral cavity, on the lips or tongue, and a violation of the integrity of the mucous membranes should be observed in both partners;
if a healthy person has damage to the integrity of the stomach walls (with an ulcer or those that have not had time to heal surgical sutures), in this case the virus enters the stomach along with saliva and enters the bloodstream through damage to the organ.

This disease is the most dangerous among other hepatitis, as it has an extensive list of complications and can develop over several years without showing any obvious symptoms. The body does not develop immunity to hepatitis C, so a person can get it more than once. However, if the immune system is strong enough and the body is not shaken serious illnesses, and the concentration of the virus is low enough, there is a possibility full recovery without serious complications. Nevertheless, statistics claim that most cases of infection end in the transformation of hepatitis C into a chronic form.

Preventive actions

It is important to understand one simple truth: infection from a partner is possible not only through a kiss, but also when using the same personal hygiene products. Thus, infection in everyday life occurs when using one razor, since droplets of blood, a toothbrush or a washcloth for washing the body are sometimes retained on it. A person can become infected due to injury skin while using the contaminated item, after which pathogenic microorganisms gets into the blood, it starts incubation period. The danger of hepatitis C is that clinical symptoms are completely absent, but the virus itself develops and negatively affects the liver. For this reason, it is necessary to share the use of hygiene products and not use other people’s razors, toothbrushes, washcloths and other products.

If a partner or close person is a carrier of the virus, then there is no need to turn away from it. We must remember that you cannot get sick in the following cases:

by airborne droplets;
when using one dish;
during physical contact, subject to the integrity of the skin.

The patient himself must also be attentive, since the safety of his loved ones largely depends on him. A carrier of hepatitis C must follow a number of rules to minimize the risk of spreading the virus:

start treatment for the disease when hepatitis C is detected and monitor your health so as not to catch it concomitant disease, which can weaken the immune system;
An infected person cannot become a blood or organ donor;
need to take care of oral cavity and timely treat pathologies associated with the condition of teeth and gums;
promptly treat wounds and other damage to the mucous membranes and skin;
in case of cuts and wounds, it is necessary to immediately apply a bandage, bandage or plaster so that blood cannot get on surrounding objects and infect a healthy person;
Minimize close contact with small children and baby supplies (an infected person should refrain from chewing baby food or licking pacifiers);
It is important to have your own hygiene items and, if possible, keep them separate from the personal belongings of healthy people.

In addition, healthy people also need to be careful and take appropriate measures to prevent potential infection:

have sterile gloves in case of first medical care, but they should always be worn - not only when an infected person has man is walking blood;
don't be wild sex life– you need to limit sexual relations so as not to contract various ailments;
must be used during sex barrier contraception– condoms;
get vaccinated;
if infectious blood gets on household items, they must be immediately disinfected using chlorine-containing products;
bed linen and personal belongings of the virus carrier must be washed correctly in order to neutralize the hepatitis C virus - for this you need to set the high temperature regime(over 60˚C) and wash for at least 30 minutes in washing machine. Boiling can kill the virus in 2 minutes.

Official medicine states that they have been developed medications, which can save a patient from hepatitis C, with a success rate of 97%. However, it is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it, so it is important to follow preventive measures. A person’s appearance cannot reveal the presence of a virus in the blood, so you must always be on guard and, if possible, do not kiss strangers(or kiss them on the cheek). In addition, promiscuity must be excluded, since uncontrolled sex life is one of the risk factors for contracting not only hepatitis, but also other serious diseases.

It is possible to become infected with hepatitis C through mouth-to-mouth kissing, but this happens infrequently due to the fact that several conditions must coincide: a violation of the integrity of the tissues of the mouth or lips of both partners, or high concentration virus in saliva, damage to the stomach walls of a healthy person. Despite this, you must be careful and try to avoid kissing strangers and monitor your condition. own health, since strong immunity is a serious obstacle to the development of the disease.

Information about how you can become infected with hepatitis C concerns each of us, no one is immune from it, we are all at risk of becoming infected with such a formidable and insidious disease, like hepatitis C. How hepatitis C is transmitted, transmission mechanisms, how hepatitis C is not transmitted, what tests diagnose the virus, whether re-infection with hepatitis C is possible and other issues related to hepatitis C are all in this article.

What everyone needs to know about hepatitis C?

The main mechanism of transmission of hepatitis C is when the blood of a healthy person gets into the blood of not only a patient with hepatitis C, but also a person simply infected with this virus.
In human blood there is maximum amount viral agents, but this is not the only biological fluid in which the virus can be found. In no large quantities it can be found in menstrual blood in women, in sperm in men, in saliva, and in lymph.
Even in the dried biological fluids of an infected person, this insidious virus is viable, but only from 12 to 96 hours.
In our country, only after 1992 did universal checks begin to be carried out donated blood for the presence of hepatitis C in it.
On the state of the immune system of a person who has had contact with the blood of an infected person, on the degree viral infection this contact patient, the likelihood of infection also depends.
Over 170 million of the world's population have chronic hepatitis C. Every year the number of infected people increases by 4 million. This disease exists in all countries, but the percentage of infected people in different countries varies greatly.

When is the risk of contracting hepatitis C high?

In all salons where manipulations are carried out with non-sterile instruments and materials with possible blood-to-blood contact. This primarily applies to manicure and pedicure salons, tattoo parlors, where tattoos and piercings are performed, and where sanitary safety rules are not strictly observed.

Most often, infection occurs through the joint use of drugs through intravenous injections, since there is an active exchange of a significant amount of blood, therefore the bulk of infected people are young people.

In places of detention also high risk hepatitis C infection.

There is a high risk of infection in medical workers when working with infected blood, this is possible if medical personnel are injured during manipulations or procedures with infected blood.

Before 1992, blood transfusions surgical operations could be the cause of human infection, according to some estimates this is 4% of all cases of infection.

When using other people's personal hygiene products - manicure instruments, razors, toothbrushes, etc., which may contain microparticles of infected blood. If blood particles enter the blood of a healthy person, it can cause infection with a virus.

In developing countries with medical procedures and manipulations with blood, for example, in dental offices, during operations, injuries, and vaccinations, there is still a high risk of contracting hepatitis C. In Russia, there are also still offices (tattoo parlors, hairdressers) where violations can be grossly sanitary standards and rules for processing tools.

It is usually rarely possible to establish the true source of hepatitis C infection, since it is quite long-lasting.

Is hepatitis C transmitted sexually?

For hepatitis C, sexual transmission considered unlikely to be infected. If you had unprotected sexual contact with an infected partner, then the probability of infection is no more than 3-5%.

Using a condom reduces the risk of infection to zero. By appearance It is impossible to determine whether a person has hepatitis C or not, much less understand whether he is infected or not.

The risk of sexually transmitted hepatitis C increases with a large number of regular random connections without protective equipment, as well as during aggressive sex with possible damage mucous membranes, their bleeding, during anal sex without a condom or sexual intercourse during menstruation in a woman. If a person is married, then the risk of infection through sexual contact is minimal (1%).

Is hepatitis C transmitted through saliva or a kiss?

It is believed that through kissing and saliva the risk of transmitting hepatitis C is reduced to zero, since the presence of the virus in saliva is possible only in minimum quantity and only if the person is already seriously ill with hepatitis. Therefore, transmission of hepatitis C through kissing is impossible or unlikely. However, it has not yet been established whether oral sex, for example, by transmitting a virus?

Is hepatitis transmitted to a child from the mother?

This happens extremely rarely; hepatitis C can be transmitted from an infected mother to the fetus during childbirth in only 5% of cases. During pregnancy, the virus is not transmitted through the placenta, but when passing through the birth canal, the child can be infected. However, most babies born to infected mothers are healthy.

Medicine in Russia today does not yet have accurate statistical data on the course of infection in adults and children. There are also no clear methods for preventing infection. Neither protocols for the treatment of newborns, nor data on observations of sick women and children in our country have been developed or maintained. Whether they will be held in the future also remains a big question. Testing for the presence of hepatitis C virus in a child born to mothers with hepatitis should be carried out no earlier than 1-1.5 years after birth.

There are also no clear studies on whether hepatitis C is transmitted through mother's milk or not. For now, doctors recommend that mothers with hepatitis C not breastfeed if there are cracks in the mammary glands, wounds, or damage to the integrity of the breasts. mammary glands. Considering how hepatitis C is transmitted, a mother should always be vigilant and should perceive any bleeding wound as a real threat of transmitting the virus to her children and loved ones.

Is hepatitis C transmitted through household contact or airborne transmission?

Hepatitis C is definitely not transmitted by airborne droplets, neither by talking, nor by coughing or sneezing. Also no handshakes, no hugs, no shared kitchen utensils, shared food or drinks do not contribute to the spread of the virus, and hepatitis C is not transmitted through insect bites.

Only in the event of an injury, abrasion, or in everyday life can the virus be transmitted from a carrier to a healthy person through blood particles, but the likelihood of this is negligible. The presence of infection should not be a reason to isolate this family member and create for him special conditions. You just have to be careful if someone carrying the virus has bleeding wounds. Young people who are carriers of the virus in Russia are exempt from serving in the country’s army.

If infection occurs, is it possible not to get hepatitis C?

With very strong immune system, after infection, a person transfers hepatitis C to mild form and gets better. The frequency of such cases approaches 20%.
In most cases - 70%, after infection, a person acquires chronic hepatitis C. Therefore, all carriers of the virus, without exception, should be regularly examined and observed by a doctor, since the risk of virus activation remains in all carriers for the rest of their lives.
You can also become infected and remain a carrier of the virus. At the same time, hepatitis C multiplies very slowly, without showing any symptoms. Neither liver tests nor liver biopsy are abnormal and no changes are observed. However, this does not exclude the progression of the virus in a latent form.

Can I become infected and get sick with hepatitis C again?

Yes, since immunity to the virus is not developed when re-infection the risks are absolutely the same, even if it was carried out successful treatment hepatitis C in the past. In addition, there are several types of hepatitis C virus that can be newly infected and also cause hepatitis.

Risk group for hepatitis C - who should be especially careful?

High risk infections in the following categories of citizens:

In people who received blood transfusions before 1987, as well as all persons who had surgical interventions until 1992.
Health care workers who have daily contact with people infected with hepatitis C.
In people who use injection drugs.
HIV infected people (see)

Average increased risk hepatitis C infection:

People with various undiagnosed liver diseases
Patients on hemodialysis
Children born to infected mothers are always at risk of accidentally becoming infected from their mother.

Low risk of infection:

All medical workers
Employees sanitary and epidemiological services
People who are sexually active, have many casual partners and do not use condoms.
People with one but infected partner

Who should be tested first?

All people at risk should be screened for hepatitis C annually.
Medical workers annually and in the event that after a needle prick, patients’ blood gets into, for example, a wound or eye.
Even with a single case of accidental unprotected sexual contact, injection drug use, even many years ago.
All persons infected with HIV are also tested for hepatitis C.

Most main analysis, which is done in all clinics and private laboratories - this is blood using the ELISA method for antibodies to hepatitis C. Its positive result only indicates the fact of infection, and not the progression of hepatitis. This is not 100% accurate diagnosis, because there are false negatives and false-positive tests for a variety of reasons. If a person suspects that this analysis is unreliable, he should undergo a more accurate diagnosis.

There is a family member with hepatitis C - what to do?

Given how hepatitis C is transmitted and that it survives external environment up to 96 hours, if by chance the blood of an infected family member gets anywhere in the room, on clothing, etc., the surface should be treated with any chlorine-containing products - Domestos, Belizna, Chlorhexidine (for skin). When washing clothes or linen at 60C, the virus dies in half an hour, and when boiled, in two minutes.

The virus carrier himself must follow basic measures to prevent transmission of the infection to his loved ones:

For any injuries, abrasions and bleeding, you should urgently bandage the injury sites or cover them with a plaster. When assisting an infected family member, gloves should be worn.
Have only personal manicure sets, razors, epilators, toothbrushes, and never use those household items that are used by other family members and which may be potential factors for transmitting the virus.