A bloodborne liver virus that is often silent and now usually curable. Explore its illustrative 3D model, human context, and sources.
Hepatitis C virus is spread through contact with infected blood, most often through unsafe injections and medical procedures, unscreened transfusions and shared injecting equipment. WHO states that around 30% of infected people clear the virus within six months without treatment, while the rest develop chronic infection. Antiviral medicines can cure more than 95% of people, and there is no vaccine.
WHO estimates 47 million people have chronic hepatitis C and about 239,000 deaths in 2024, mostly from cirrhosis and liver cancer, while direct-acting antivirals cure more than 95% of people treated and access to diagnosis and treatment remains low. CDC notes that serious signs of liver damage might not appear for 20 years or more. These are population figures rather than an individual prognosis.
Hepatitis C virus · lipid-associated enveloped particle. HCV lipoviroparticles vary; the smooth rounded outline and internal packing are especially uncertain. The colours, proportions, protein shapes and visible counts are illustrative, not measured or an atomic reconstruction. Independent scientific review remains pending.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.