STI TEST · BANGKOK
Hepatitis C Test in Bangkok
A hepatitis C blood test with a doctor who comes to you in Bangkok: an antibody test, with an RNA test to confirm active infection. Hepatitis C is curable.
Message Ovio Medically reviewed by Kewalee Rujikajorn, MD · 24 September 2026
Hepatitis C test at a glance.
- SampleBlood
- Detectable from1–2 weeks (RNA), 8–11 weeks (antibody)
- SymptomsUsually none for years
- TreatmentCured in over 95% of people
- Who comesA doctor, to your home, condo, hotel or office
- ResultsExplained by your doctor
- PriceConfirmed before your visit
THE INFECTION
What is hepatitis C?
- Cause
- A virus that infects the liver
- Also called
- HCV infection · Hepatitis C virus
Hepatitis C is a viral infection of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It spreads mainly through blood: shared needles and drug equipment, unsterile medical, dental, tattoo or piercing procedures, and, less commonly, sex that involves contact with blood.
About three in ten people clear the virus by themselves within six months. In the rest, hepatitis C becomes chronic and can quietly damage the liver over many years, leading to cirrhosis or liver cancer. Because a new infection rarely causes symptoms, most people only find out through a blood test.
Hepatitis C is now one of the most satisfying infections to find. There is no vaccine, but a course of antiviral tablets cures more than 95% of people. Testing is a simple two-step process: an antibody test first, then an RNA test to confirm whether the virus is still active.
Symptoms of hepatitis C.
Most new infections cause no symptoms. When they do, they appear weeks to months after exposure and are easy to confuse with other illnesses.
New (acute) infection
- Tiredness
- Fever
- Nausea and loss of appetite
- Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice)
- Dark urine
Long-term (chronic) infection
- Usually no symptoms for years
- Fatigue or 'brain fog'
- Later, signs of liver scarring
- Often found by chance on a blood test
Chronic hepatitis C can damage the liver for decades without symptoms. A blood test finds it, and treatment cures it.
How the hepatitis C test works.
Hepatitis C testing has two steps, so a single positive result is never the full answer.
HCV antibody test
Blood
The screening test. Shows infection at any time, past or present. Takes around 8 to 11 weeks to become positive.
HCV RNA test
Blood
Confirms whether the virus is active now, and detects infection earlier, from about 1 to 2 weeks. Also confirms a cure after treatment.
Sources: CDC2, Thailand Department of Disease Control3, WHO1
Testing with Ovio
- Tell us what you needCall or message Ovio, privately. Say where you are in Bangkok and when suits you.
- A doctor comes to youAt your home, condo, hotel or office. The doctor asks about your concerns and recommends the right samples.
- Samples go to the laboratoryTaken there and then; for most tests the visit itself is short.
- Your result, explainedWhat it means, and what to do next if anything needs treatment or a repeat test.
Not sure which test you need?
Speak to one of our doctors. They will ask about your situation and suggest the tests, samples and timing that fit it.
When to test for hepatitis C.
Every test has a window period: the time after exposure before it can reliably detect an infection. A test taken too early can be negative even when the infection is there.
| Test | Sample | Timing after exposure | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCV RNA | Blood | Usually detectable 7–14 days | CDC describes RNA as usually detectable around 1–2 weeks; sexual transmission risk varies by context. |
| HCV antibody, with RNA follow-up when indicated | Blood | Usually detectable 56–77 days | CDC describes an 8–11-week antibody window. Antibody alone does not establish current infection. |
Sources: CDC2
Who should get tested
- Every adult at least once
- Anyone who has ever injected drugs, even once, or shared straws for snorting
- Anyone with tattoos, piercings or medical procedures where sterility was uncertain
- Men who have sex with men, and anyone living with HIV or taking PrEP
- Anyone with abnormal liver test results
- Everyone who is pregnant
AFTER THE TEST
Results and next steps.
A negative antibody test outside the window period means you have not had hepatitis C. If your risk was recent, the doctor may recommend an RNA test or a repeat antibody test later.
A positive antibody test is followed by an RNA test. If the virus is active, the next step is an assessment of the liver and a course of direct-acting antiviral tablets, which cure more than 95% of people.
Cure is confirmed by an RNA test after treatment. The antibody test will stay positive, so future checks use RNA testing.
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. If you are unwell, in severe pain or worried about something urgent, contact a doctor now or go to a hospital emergency department.
Hepatitis C testing:
your questions.
Can't see your question? Ask one of our doctors.
Not necessarily. A positive antibody test means you have been infected at some point. About three in ten people clear the virus naturally but keep the antibodies. An HCV RNA test is needed to show whether the virus is still active and needs treatment.
It can, but it is less common than transmission through blood. The risk is higher with sex that can involve blood, such as anal sex without a condom, sex during a period, group sex or sex with drug use, and among people living with HIV. Condoms reduce the risk.
An HCV RNA test can detect the virus about 1 to 2 weeks after infection. The antibody test takes longer, around 8 to 11 weeks. After a recent risk, a doctor may use an RNA test or ask you to repeat the antibody test later.
Yes. According to the World Health Organization, direct-acting antiviral medicines cure more than 95% of people with hepatitis C. Treatment is a course of tablets, with few side effects for most people.
Yes. Being cured does not make you immune, and the antibody test stays positive for life. Anyone who stays at risk should have regular RNA tests rather than antibody tests.
Yes, if the needles, ink or equipment were not sterile. The World Health Organization lists unsafe injections and procedures among the main ways hepatitis C spreads. If you had a tattoo, piercing or injectable beauty treatment where you are unsure about hygiene, an antibody test from about 11 weeks afterwards, or an RNA test earlier, will answer the question.
No. Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C, so prevention depends on avoiding blood exposure, and testing is the only way to find an infection early.
MEDICALLY REVIEWED
Kewalee Rujikajorn, MD
General Practitioner, Bangkok
Reviewed 24 September 2026
Kewalee Rujikajorn is a general practitioner in Bangkok, providing outpatient care for urgent, acute and chronic illness and remote consultations through a telemedicine platform. A graduate of the Medical University of Lublin, Kewalee completed postgraduate medical training at Thammasat University Hospital and has published research in ophthalmology.
Sources.
- Hepatitis C: fact sheetWorld Health Organization, 28 July 2026
- Clinical Screening and Diagnosis for Hepatitis CUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- National Guideline on HIV, Syphilis, HBV and HCV Testing (2025)Thailand Department of Disease Control
Ovio uses official public-health sources and reviews this page when they change. Questions about this content: info@oviowellness.com.
Speak to one of our doctors.
A doctor comes to your home, condo, hotel or office in Bangkok, talks through what you are worried about, takes the samples for your hepatitis C test and explains what happens next.