![]() ![]() The virus is also spread by shared needles, from a mother to her newborn, sharing razors or toothbrushes with an infected person, direct contact with blood or open sores of an infected person or exposure to contaminated blood via needle sticks or other sharp instruments. One leading mode of transmission is unsafe sex. Approximately 800,000 to 1.4 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis B in the United States, and about 2,000 to 4,000 per year die from the disease. About 15 percent to 25 percent of people who are infected with hepatitis B develop chronic infection. Hepatitis B rates have declined by 82 percent since 1990, when the vaccine was first given to children. Many people with the infection have no symptoms when symptoms occur, they may include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain and jaundice. Hepatitis B is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis B virus that ranges from an acute mild illness lasting for a few weeks to a serious chronic illness that can eventually lead to liver disease or cancer. health care workers, such as medical, dental, surgical and other.injecting and non-injecting illicit drug users.travelers to areas with increased rates of hepatitis A.children age one or who did not receive the vaccination at age one.receive clotting factor concentrates for a medical conditionįor most women, the biggest risk factors are sexual or household contact with an infected person or travel to countries where hepatitis A is common.įor hepatitis A, vaccination is recommended for the following people:.work in a setting where you might be exposed to the virus.live with another person who has hepatitis A.use illicit drugs (injected or non-injected).travel to regions with high rates of hepatitis A.You are at an increased risk of contracting hepatitis A if you: eating food that was handled by someone who didn't wash his or her hands thoroughly after using the bathroom.sexual intercourse with someone who has the virus.close contact with someone who is infected.eating raw shellfish from polluted water.You can contract hepatitis A via the following: Symptoms usually clear up within two months but may last as long as six months. Not everyone with the infection develops symptoms. Symptoms of hepatitis A usually do not appear until you have had the virus for a month and include fatigue, nausea and vomiting, abdominal pain or discomfort, appetite loss, low-grade fever, dark urine, muscle pain, itching and yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice). In 2009, the incidence of hepatitis A was 1 per 100,000, the lowest number ever recorded. According to the CDC, there were about 21,000 new hepatitis A infections in 2009. It does not lead to chronic liver infection. ![]() Hepatitis A is an acute liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus that lasts for a few weeks to a few months. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends that "at-risk" infants, or infants of parents requesting vaccination, undergo hepatitis A vaccination at age 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all children be vaccinated against hepatitis B at birth. People who develop antibody in response to vaccination are protected from both acute and chronic hepatitis if they experience an exposure to these viruses after vaccination. The good news is that there are vaccines against hepatitis A and hepatitis B. jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes).Although acute hepatitis, regardless of the type of virus, is often not associated with any symptoms, if there are symptoms, the main ones are: In contrast, the hepatitis B and C viruses may not go away and may evolve to a chronic ongoing infection. In the United States, the most common forms of hepatitis are hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.Īll of the hepatitis viruses can cause acute hepatitis, which, in adults, usually resolves on its own over time. There are five main types: A, B, C, D and E. If you're having trouble keeping up with the alphabet soup of the types of the hepatitis virus you're not alone. Hepatitis literally means inflammation of the liver ( hepa = liver it is = inflammation). You've probably heard warnings about hepatitis, a category of viral infections that can cause serious liver damage and even lead to death. The hepatitis viruses all cause acute inflammation of the liver, and some infections related to hepatitis B and C may become chronic. ![]()
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