“Hepatitis C?”
I work in a nursing home and had to take a resident out to smoke who has hepatitis c so I was wondering if I could be at risk of getting it by touching the cigarette? I heard it’s from blood to blood contact but a nurse said you could get it from saliva. Not saying I touched his saliva but I did touch his cigarette bc he would drop it a lot on accident.
Female | 19 years old
2 Answers
It is not very likely to get it that way. The current recommendations are to be tested at least once in your lifetime for hepatitis.
Unless you shared the cigarette with this patient or put your finger in your mouth after touching the saliva on the cigarette, you are unlikely to get the hepatitis C. Wash your hands after assisting this patient.
William Z. Cohen, M.D., FAAFP
William Z. Cohen, M.D., FAAFP
