Just a small trace of blood can cause an infection. At room temperature, it's thought the virus may be able survive outside the body in patches of dried blood on surfaces for up to several weeks.
Simply touching blood – even dried blood can be extremely dangerous. What appears to be “dry” blood may, in fact, have only been spilled hours before and therefore still have pathogens in it that are infectious. In the right environment, it could even still pass along diseases including HIV and more.
Your skin usually protects you from hep C. If you are splashed with blood or you touch blood, and your skin is healthy and intact, there is very low risk for infection. However, if you have tears, cuts, sores, infections, or punctures to your skin, hep C could enter your blood stream and cause an infection.
Hepatitis C is spread by direct contact with hepatitis C-infected blood. For example, if infected blood came into contact with an open sore or a cut in your hands, you may become infected. Hepatitis C is not spread by casual contact.
Skin contaminated with blood should be washed with soap and water.
Just a small trace of blood can cause an infection. At room temperature, it's thought the virus may be able survive outside the body in patches of dried blood on surfaces for up to several weeks.
There is evidence that the Hepatitis B virus might be transmitted for a few days from dried blood if there is direct contact of flakes of the blood with an open wound or the moist membranes of the eyes, nose or mouth.
Blood may contain microbes that give you infections. These include blood-borne viruses, like Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and HIV. Risk of a viral infection through exposure depends on how much blood you were exposed to, how much virus was in the blood, and how deep the blood penetrated your tissues.
The Hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature, on environmental surfaces, for up to 3 weeks However, a site quoting the CDC says “According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, HCV can survive on environmental surfaces at room temperature for at least 16 hours but no longer ...
The researchers noted that the contaminated blood dried naturally within 4 hours, and that this change can make blood spots or drops less noticeable. However, the infectious quality of the blood fell sharply in the first 6 hours, suggesting that the risk of transmission decreases with time.
Sometimes, soaking blood stained fabric and then washing it in the washing machine is enough to remove a dried blood stain. However, it is recommended that you air dry the fabric rather than dry it in a dryer. If a stain still remains after washing, heat can set the stain. Scrub with soap and water.
Caring for the Wound
Try to remove all drainage and any dried blood or other matter that may have built up on the skin. Do not use skin cleansers, alcohol, peroxide, iodine, or soap with antibacterial chemicals. These can damage the wound tissue and slow healing.
The virus can survive on dry surfaces and equipment for up to 6 weeks. People who inject drugs can get Hepatitis C from: Needles & Syringes. Sharing or reusing needles and syringes increases the chance of spreading the Hepatitis C virus.
As such, bleach may be the best disinfectant for decontaminating used syringes, to prevent both HCV and HIV transmission, when new syringes are unavailable.
The incubation period for hepatitis C ranges from 2 weeks to 6 months. Following initial infection, approximately 80% of people do not exhibit any symptoms.
If you have contact with a person's blood or body fluids you could be at risk of HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C, or other blood borne illnesses. Body fluids, such as sweat, tears, vomit or urine may contain and pass on these viruses when blood is present in the fluid, but the risk is low.
Dr. Madsen: If it's just on your skin it's probably not a problem. But if you have cracks in your skin, anything where it could get under the skin or if you get it in your eye or in your mouth. We call them mucus membranes.
How soon after exposure to HCV can HCV RNA be detected? People with recently acquired acute infection typically have detectable HCV RNA levels as early as 1–2 weeks after exposure to the virus (26).
Transmission during menstruation
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus, so is present in a woman's menstrual blood if she is living with the virus. This is one of the few situations which sexual transmission of hepatitis C is possible between heterosexual couples.
Although people applying dried blood dust formulations could potentially experience some dermal or inhalation exposure, the dried blood in these products poses no known human risks.
To a lesser extent, indirect contact with blood-contaminated surfaces can also transmit the hepatitis B virus. The virus may be stable in dried blood for up to 7 days at 25°C.
Any disinfectant will destroy HCV. All doctors and dentists and their assistants should always wash their hands with soap and water before they examine you or treat you. All of the medical instruments including needles and syringes must be sterile.
Hepatitis C is hardy, and can live for days even when dry. Cleaning with a dilute bleach solution (10 percent bleach is best: one part bleach to nine parts water) is very effective at disinfecting. Rubbing alcohol and most home cleaners like Lysol are not.
Needlestick injuries are an occupational hazard of many healthcare workers, including nurses, anaesthetists, dentists and laboratory technicians. The estimated risk for infection after a needlestick injury or cut exposure to HCV-infected blood is approximately 1.8%.
Some prisoners had not considered, or were unaware, that HCV transmission can occur through fighting. I've only known two guys [who] have contracted hep C through punch-ups. And, or through blood-to-blood contact through combat, yeah. So it's not that, you know, like needles take the cake when it comes to hep C spread.