A 21-year-old woman presents with a six-month history of fatigue, muscle, and joint pains. She grew up in a household

A 21-year-old woman presents with a six-month history of fatigue, muscle, and joint pains. She grew up in a household where heroin use was prevalent. Screening tests indicate that she is seropositive for hepatitis C antibodies. She denies any injection drug use and is very upset with this finding. She has many questions about hepatitis C and what the implications are for her. Which of the following statements is true with regards to hepatitis C infection? Sexual transmission is common. Hepatitis C is transmitted by percutaneous exposure to infected blood and is the most common bloodborne pathogen in the United States, found in approximately 2% of the population. Prevalence reaches 30% in groups at high risk, namely injection drug users and patients transfused with clotting factors before 1987. Universal vaccination of newborns is recommended as transmission may occur from a hepatitis C-positive mother. Hepatitis C is persistent and causes chronic liver disease in 25% of those infected.