I told her I’ve never used drugs and only had sex with her father.  Should I even worry about this?

 

Thanks for asking this. Undiagnosed Hepatitis C is a reality in Canada, so we are happy to clarify this for you.

There are many Canadians who are living with Hep C and don’t realize it, so testing guidelines are meant to find those undiagnosed cases. Canadians who were born between 1945 and 1975, who have never been tested are encouraged to be tested for Hep C. It’s a simple blood test that you can ask your doctor for. The great news is that Hep C is curable. Treatment is now very effective and much easier on patients than it used to be.

All that said, no, you shouldn’t “worry” about this. It sounds like you have no ongoing risk factors, so transmission to others is a low risk. Should you become sexually active, you and your partner may want to consider STBBI testing just to keep yourselves informed and healthy.

When thinking about Hep C and other STBBIs, our health status is something we can monitor and manage through testing, treatment and information about transmission. Once we have the tools and support to do that well, we can take the worry out of it.