Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B also affects the liver and is caused by the hepatitis B virus. Hepatitis B is spread through blood, semen, or other body fluids from one infected person to another. This can happen through sexual contact; share needles, syringes or others; or from mother to child at birth.
The hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for at least 7 days. During that time, the virus can still cause infection if it enters the body of a person who is not infected.
For some people it may be an acute illness and for others it may be a chronic infection. About 2% to 6% of adults and 90% of infected infants become chronically infected. Chronic hepatitis B can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and other serious illnesses. Hepatitis B can be prevented by vaccination, which is given as 3 injections over a 6-month period. Although anyone can get hepatitis B, higher risk factors include:
- Sex with an infected person.
- Multiple sexual partners.
- Sexually transmitted diseases.
- Injecting drugs or sharing needles, syringes, or other drug equipment.
- Living with a person who has hepatitis B.
- Babies born to infected mothers.
- Exposure to blood at work.
- Hemodialysis patients.
- Travelers to countries with moderate to high rates of hepatitis B.
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C is a contagious liver disease that ranges from an acute illness lasting a few weeks to a lifelong chronic disease that attacks the liver. It is the result of infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is spread primarily through contact with the blood of an infected person.
In 80% of people, acute hepatitis C infection, which occurs within the first 6 months after someone is exposed to the virus, leads to chronic infection.
Hepatitis C virus infection can be lifelong and lead to serious liver problems, such as cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) or liver cancer.
The best way to prevent hepatitis C is to avoid behaviors that spread the disease, such as injecting drugs. The hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature for up to 2 months! Some countries have a higher rate of hepatitis C, which could increase a person's risk of exposure when traveling to these countries. Some people are at higher risk of getting hepatitis C, including:
- Recipients of donated blood, blood products/clotting factors, and organs.
- People who received body piercings or tattoos in non-regulated facilities with non-sterile equipment.
- People on dialysis.
- Current or past use of injectable or intranasal drugs.
- Healthcare workers with needlestick injuries.
- HIV-infected people.
- Children born to mothers infected with the hepatitis C virus.
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