Is hepatitis C very contagious?

Hepatitis C is contagious, but it is not easily transmitted. The only way the disease spreads is when the blood from someone infected with hepatitis C enters the bloodstream of an uninfected person, as reported by the American Liver Association.

Hepatitis C is not transmittable by kissing, hugging, sharing drinks, sneezing, coughing or any other means of casual contact, as noted by the American Liver Association. In the past, the disease was commonly spread or transmitted through blood transfusions and organ transplants, but since 1992 the screening of all donated blood and organs for hepatitis C has become standard procedure in the United States. As of 2015, the risk of infection is generally confined to people who share needles for injecting drugs.