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A B Cs of Hepatitis
Hepatitis A (HAV)
1. What is it? HAV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. It does not lead to chronic disease.
2. Incubation Period:15 to 50 days. Incubation Period: 15 to 50 days. Average 30 days.
3. How is it spread? Transmitted by fecal/oral route, through close person to person contact or ingestion of contaminated food and water.
4. Symptoms: May have no symptoms. Adults may have light stools, dark urine, fatigue, fever, and jaundice.
5. Vaccine: Two doses of vaccine to anyone over the age of two.
6. Who is at risk? Household or sexual contact with an infected person or living in an area with HAV outbreak. Travelers to developing countries, homosexual men, and IV drug users.
7. Prevention: Immune Globulin Prevention: Immune Globulin (IgG) or vaccination. Wash hands after going to the toilet. Clean surfaces contaminated with feces, such as changing tables.
Hepatitis B (HBV)
1. What is it? HBV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. The virus can cause liver cell damage, leading to cirrhosis and cancer.
2. Incubation Period: 4 to 25 weeks. Average 8 to 12 weeks.
3. How is it spread? Contact with infected blood, seminal fluid, and vaginal secretions. Sexual contact, contaminated needles, tattoo/body piercing, and other sharp instruments. Infected mother to newborn. Human bites.
4. Symptoms: May have no symptoms. Some persons have mild flu-like symptoms, dark urine, light stools, fatigue, fever, and jaundice.
5. Treatment of Chronic Disease: Interferon is effective in up to 35-45% of those treated.
6. Vaccine: Three doses may be given to persons of any age.
7. Who is at risk? Infants born to infected mothers, having sex with infected person or multiple partners, IV What drug users, emergency responders and healthcare workers, homosexual men, and hemodialysis patients.
8. Prevention: Vaccination and safe sex. Clean up any infected blood with bleach and wear protected gloves. Do not share razors or toothbrushes.
Hepatitis C (HCV)
1. What is it? HCV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. This infection can lead to cirrhosis and cancer.
2. Incubation Period: 2 to 25 weeks. Average 7 to 9 weeks.
3. How is it spread? Contact with infected blood, contaminated IV needles, razors, tattoo/body piercing, and other sharp instruments. Infected mother to newborn. It is not easily transmitted through sex.
4. Symptoms: Same as HBV.
5. Treatment of Chronic Disease: Interferon is effective in 30% of those treated.
6. Vaccine: None.
7. Who is at risk? Anyone who had a blood transfusion before 1990; healthcare workers, IV drug users, hemodialysis patients, infants born to infected mothers, and multiple sex partners.
8. Prevention: Safe sex. Clean up spilled blood with bleach. Wear gloves when touching blood. Do not share razors or toothbrushes.
Hepatitis D (HDV)
1. HDV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. It only infects those persons with HBV.
2. Incubation Period: 4 to 26 weeks.
3. How is it spread? Contact with infected blood, contaminated needles, and sexual contact with HDV infected persons.
4. Symptoms: Same as HBV.
5. Treatment of Chronic Disease: Interferon with varying success.
6. Vaccine: None.
7. Who is at risk? IV drug users, homosexual men, and those having sex with an HDV infected person.
8. Prevention: Hepatitis B vaccine to prevent HBV infection. Safe sex.
Hepatitis E (HEV)
1. What is it? HEV is a virus that causes inflammation of the liver. It is rare in the U.S. There is no chronic state.
2. Incubation Period: 2 to 9 weeks. Average 40 days.
3. How is it spread? Transmitted through fecal/oral route, outbreaks associated with contaminated water supply in other countries.
4. Symptoms: Same as HBV.
5. Vaccine: None.
6. Who is at risk? Travelers to developing countries.
7. Prevention: Avoid drinking or using potentially contaminated water.
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