Fast Facts

1. 350 - 400 million people worldwide are thought to be living with hepatitis B
2. Hepatitis B is 100 times more infectious than HIV
3. There are effective vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B
4. One in five people around the world have been exposed to something that puts them at risk from hepatitis C
5. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C
6. While there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, there are effective treatments available
7. Some people can even be cured of the disease
8. There is a simple blood test that can check for hepatitis C
9. Hepatitis C virus is carried in the blood of an infected person and is spread through blood to blood contact
10. People who have injected drugs (even once years ago), had a blood transfusion before the early 1990s (when screening was established), shared cocaine straws, had a tattoo or body piercing, been exposed to blood in a work context or even borrowed a friends razor or toothbrush may be at risk of hepatitis C.