Eighty-five to ninety percent of all HCV carriers will have it for life, or
until a cure is found. All carriers of HCV can transmit the disease to
others via his or her blood. The disease may occur in the acute form and
be followed by recovery, but the majority of the cases become chronic and
cause symptoms for years.
A study at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, suggests that the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in dried blood may survive on environmental surfaces at room temperature at least 16 hours but not longer than 4 days. (www.hepatitisresources-calif.org/news Krawczynski, Kris, et al, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental stability of hepatitis C virus (HCV): Viability of dried/stored HCV in chimpanzee infectivity studies. 11/25/2003)
