Chances of Hep. C transmission...

[anxiouskate]

Last late October, I had ripped some skin off of my lip. Like when you do when you are picking at slightly chapped lips, and happen to tear off some, you know? This happened in the morning sometime. Later that night at a party, I was drunk and made out heavily with a man I didn't know whose Hep C status I also don't know.

Are there chances my torn lip skin from earlier that morning made it likely for Hep C transmission to occur if the man was positive?

Also, is it a general rule Hep. C test results take longer to get back? I only ask because on Tuesday I was tested for Hep. C and HSV-2. They said it would take 7-10 days for the results, but yesterday I had already gotten my HSV-2 results back.

And lastly, are false positives a common occurrence? If so, what causes them? Is there confirmatory testing that needs to be done, and how does one go about that?

Thank you for any help anyone can give me.

[flyinlynn]

Hep c is transmitted by blood to blood contact. Hep c infected blood must enter the blood stream of an uninfected person. What you have described is not a risk.

It can take 12 weeks for enough antibodies to develop to hep c after infection to be detectable. For those with a compromised immune system for example if infected with HIV it can take as long as 24 weeks for enough antibodies to develop to be at detectable levels.

There are occasional true false positives for hep c antibodies but in order to explain the reasons it would require a explanation involving biochemistry and micro-biology.

Also more commonly people will test positive for hep c antibodies but negative when further diagnostic testing is done with a test for the virus itself the HCV RNA by PCR test. This would not be a false positive for hep c antibodies the  positive result is due to the patient having been exposed in the past to the hep c virus but they were able to clear it on their own without taking any medicines. About 25% of people beat a hep c infection in the way.

They will always test positive for hep c antibodies but negative for the hep c virus on the HCV RNA by PCR test. This result means they were previously exposed in the past but are not currently infected with hep c.

[anxiouskate]

Also, I just included the timeframe of morning/night because I'm not sure how wounds sealing up themselves work? If it's relatively quick to provide a thing protective layer over the course of a few hours, or if that doesn't happen.

[flyinlynn]

An open wound is required for the hep c  virus to enter the blood stream. An open wound is one that is wet and weeping. Then hep c infected blood must be forced into the blood stream.

Even in the case of a medical person who experiences an accidental needle stick involving a person with known hep c infection the odds of transmission are only about 1.8%

Hep c is not easily transmitted and now with the new generation treatments is nearly 100% curable.

IS HEP C CONTAGIOUS?

Hepatitis C transmission happens only through exposure to an infected person’s blood. It is not contagious like the common cold. You cannot get, or give, Hepatitis C by:

Kissing
Hugging
Holding hands
Casual contact
Sneezing
Coughing
Sharing eating utensils
Sharing food or drink
Breastfeeding (unless nipples are cracked and bleeding)