The liver disease hepatitis impacts tens of millions of people around the world. Each year on July 28 – World Hepatitis Day – we shine a spotlight on hepatitis awareness and honor the life of Dr. Baruch Blumberg (1925-2011), who discovered the hepatitis B virus in 1967 and, two years later, developed the first hepatitis B vaccine, achievements for which he received the Nobel Prize.
Hepatitis, which can cause both acute and chronic disease, is responsible for killing an estimated 1.34 million people each year. The term “hepatitis” means inflammation of the liver. This can be due to a variety of causes. Usually, it refers to a group of viruses that affect the liver. The liver is one of the most important organs in the body because it filters your blood. The most common types of viral hepatitis in the United States are hepatitis A, B, and C.
Hepatitis A, which causes acute (sudden or short term) illness, can last from a few weeks to several months. It usually spreads when a person eats food that has a small amount of fecal material in it. Washing your hands often and well (at least 20 seconds) is the best way to stop the spread of hepatitis A. Getting vaccinated for hepatitis A is the best way to prevent it.
Hepatitis B can cause liver damage or even liver cancer; most people who get hepatitis B as adults have an acute infection, but it can lead to chronic (long term) infection. Because it is spread by contact with bodily fluids such as blood or semen of a person who has hepatitis B, it is usually passed by having sex, sharing needles and syringes, and from mother to baby at birth. The best way to prevent hepatitis B is vaccination: a series of three shots over six-months. Using condoms and not sharing needles and syringes for injections are also important prevention methods.
Hepatitis C is a common liver disease that can cause acute illness (lasting a few weeks) to a chronic lifelong illness. Hepatitis C can be silent in your body for many years so many people don’t know they have it. Hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver cancer and liver transplant in the US. Blood-to-blood contact with a person who has hepatitis C is the most common way it is spread, usually through sharing needles or syringes, or coming into contact with the blood of someone who has the virus. Not sharing needles/syringes, and not coming into contact with other people’s blood are important. While there is no vaccine, there is good news: hepatitis C can be cured. Contact your healthcare provider for more information. A map of hepatitis C treatment providers can be found at Virginia HEPC.
You may learn more about viral hepatitis A, B, and C on this Virginia Department of Health webpage. The most important thing you can do to protect your health is to get tested. You can find testing for viral hepatitis, HIV, and STDs on VDH’s Division of Disease Prevention testing page.