You've seen babies getting vaccinated to protect them from diseases right? Well, there are a few diseases against which we do not have any vaccines! One of them is a type of Hepatitis, i.e., Hepatitis C. Here's why we do not have a vaccine against this disease!

2. Hepatitis C and its Vaccine
Science is Confusing

3. What is Hepatitis C?
• Hepatitis C is a liver disease by a organism known as a virus.
• The disease is called Hepatitis as it affects the hepatocytes of an
individual.
• Hepatocytes = Liver Cells.
• There are 5 types of Hepatitis, namely
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
Electron Micrograph of HCV

4. What causes Hepatitis C?
• Hepatitis C is caused by the Hepatitis C Virus, which is abbreviated as
HCV.
• This enveloped virus belongs to a family of viruses which is called the
Flaviviridae family.
• It is a positive, ssRNA containing virus, making it very quick to cause
infections.

5. Is Hepatitis C dangerous?
• Maybe.
• It can be as dangerous as Hepatitis B, but sometimes it is pretty mild.
• However, if one is to look at this from a different perspective, it can
be deemed dangerous.
• That is, there is no vaccine for HCV.

6. What is a vaccine?
• Vaccines are substances which contain a live attenuated version of
the microorganism which causes the disease in question.
• In simpler words, it is a substance containing a weakened, yet living
form of the microbe which causes that disease for which the vaccine
is administered.
• Vaccines were discovered in 1976 by Edward Jenner.
Edward Jenner

7. Why do we not have a vaccine for HCV?
• In contrast to the HBV, a virus for which the vaccine has been
successfully made, making a vaccine for HCV is quite a challenge.
• HCV has 7 genotypes and there is extremely high genetic diversity
between them (30%).
• The different types are very much different when compared to each
other.
• HBV on the other hand, has only 8% of divergence between the
genotypes which explains why a vaccine was successful for HBV.

8. Why do we not have a vaccine for HCV?

9. Treatment:
• Even though, there is no vaccine available as yet, there are other
methods to cure someone infected with Hepatitis C.
• Using antiviral drugs allows one to clear the virus from the body.
Many more researches are going on to improve the antiviral drug
technology.
• Administration certain medications is often applied to supress the
replication of the HCV and delay cirrhosis of the liver.
• In extreme cases, the doctor suggests a liver transplant along with the
antiviral drugs and other medications.

10. In Summary:

11. Thanks for Watching!