Description
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A can affect anyone. In the United States, hepatitis A can occur in situations ranging from isolated cases of disease to widespread epidemics.

Good personal hygiene and proper sanitation can help prevent hepatitis A. Vaccines are also available for long-term prevention of hepatitis A virus infection in persons 12 months of age and older. Immune globulin is available for short-term prevention of hepatitis A virus infection in individuals of all ages.

Source of the virus
Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) is found in the stool (feces) of persons with hepatitis A.

Symptoms
Adults will have signs and symptoms more often than children.

• Jaundice
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Fever

• Once you have had hepatitis A, you cannot get it again.
• About 15% of people infected with HAV will have prolonged or relapsing symptoms over a 6-9 month period.

Transmission

• HAV is found in the stool (feces) of persons with hepatitis A.
• HAV is usually spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth (even though it might look clean) that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A.

Persons at risk

• Household contacts of infected persons
• Sex contacts of infected persons
• Persons, especially children, living in areas with increased rates of hepatitis A during the baseline period of 1987-1997
• Persons traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common
• Men who have sex with men
• Users of injection and non-injection drugs

Prevention

• Hepatitis A vaccine is the best protection.
• Short-term protection against hepatitis A is available from immune globulin. It can be given before and within 2 weeks of coming in contact with HAV.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and before preparing and eating food.

Vaccine recommendation
Vaccine is recommended for the following persons from 12 months of age and older:

• All children at age 1 year (i.e., 12–23 months)
• Men who have sex with men
• Users of injection and non-injection drugs
• Persons with clotting-factor disorders (e.g., hemophilia)
• Persons with chronic liver disease
• Children living in areas with increased rates of hepatitis A during the baseline period of 1987-1997
• Persons who works with HAV in a laboratory setting

Source http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/a/fact.htm

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Description
Hepatitis B is a serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus, which is called hepatitis B virus (HBV), can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death.

Hepatitis B vaccine is available for all age groups to prevent hepatitis B virus infection.

Source of the virus
Hepatitis B virus (HBV)

Symptoms
About 30% of persons have no signs or symptoms. Signs and symptoms are less common in children than adults.

• Jaundice
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea, vomiting 
• Joint pain
• Abdominal pain

Transmission

• Occurs when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected.
• HBV is spread through having sex with an infected person without using a condom (the efficacy of latex condoms in preventing infection with HBV is unknown, but their proper use might reduce transmission), by sharing drugs, needles, or "works" when injecting drugs, through needlesticks or sharps exposures on the job, or from an infected mother to her baby during birth.
• Persons at risk for HBV infection might also be at risk for infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) or HIV.

Persons at risk:

• Persons with multiple sex partners or diagnosis of a sexually transmitted disease
• Men who have sex with men
• Sex contacts of infected persons
• Injection-drug users
• Household contacts of chronically infected persons
• Infants born to infected mothers
• Infants/children of immigrants from areas with high rates of HBV infection
• Health-care and public safety workers with exposure to blood
• Hemodialysis patients

Prevention

• Hepatitis B vaccine is the best protection.
• If you are having sex, but not with one steady partner, use latex condoms correctly and every time you have sex. The efficacy of latex condoms in preventing infection with HBV is unknown, but their proper use might reduce transmission.
• If you are pregnant, you should get a blood test for hepatitis B. Infants born to HBV-infected mothers should be given HBIG (hepatitis B immune globulin) and vaccine within 12 hours after birth.
• Do not shoot drugs; if you shoot drugs, stop and get into a treatment program; if you can't stop, never share drugs, needles, syringes, water, or "works", and get vaccinated against hepatitis A and B.
• Do not share personal care items that might have blood on them (razors, toothbrushes).
• Consider the risks if you are thinking about getting a tattoo or body piercing. You might get infected if the tools have someone else's blood on them or if the artist or piercer does not follow good health practices.
• If you have or had hepatitis B, do not donate blood, organs, or tissue.
• If you are a health-care or public safety worker, get vaccinated against hepatitis B, and always follow routine barrier precautions and safely handle needles and other sharps

Vaccine recommendations

• Hepatitis B vaccine has been available since 1982.
• Routine vaccination of 0-18 year olds
• Vaccination of risk groups of all ages

Long term effects without vaccination
Chronic infection occurs in:

• 90% of infants infected at birth
• 30% of children infected at age 1–5 years 
• 6% of persons infected after age 5 years 

Death from chronic liver disease occurs in:

• 15%–25% of chronically infected persons

Contraindications to vaccine
A serious allergic reaction to a prior dose of hepatitis B vaccine or a vaccine component is a contraindication to further doses of hepatitis B vaccine. The recombinant vaccines that are licensed for use in the United States are synthesized by Saccharomyces cerevisiae (common bakers' yeast), into which a plasmid containing the gene for HBsAg has been inserted. Purified HBsAg is obtained by lysing the yeast cells and separating HBsAg from the yeast components by biochemical and biophysical techniques. Persons allergic to yeast should not be vaccinated with vaccines containing yeast.

Treatment and medical management

• HBV infected persons should be evaluated by their doctor for liver disease.
• Adefovir dipivoxil, interferon alfa-2b, pegylated interferon alfa-2a, lamivudine, entecavir, and telbivudine are six drugs used for the treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis B.
• These drugs should not be used by pregnant women.
• Drinking alcohol can make your liver disease worse.

Source:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/fact.htm

• Were notified that you received blood from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C
• Have ever injected illegal drugs, even if you experimented a few times many years ago
• Received a blood transfusion or solid organ transplant before July, 1992
• Were a recipient of clotting factor(s) made before 1987
• Have ever been on long-term kidney dialysis
• Have evidence of liver disease (e.g., persistently abnormal ALT levels)

Source of the Virus
Hepatitis C virus (HCV)

Symptoms
80% of persons have no signs or symptoms.

• Jaundice
• Fatigue
• Dark urine
• Abdominal pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea

Long Term Effects

• Chronic infection: 55%-85% of infected persons
• Chronic liver disease: 70% of chronically infected persons
• Deaths from chronic liver disease: 1%-5% of infected persons may die
• Leading indication for liver transplant

Transmission

• Occurs when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected.
• HCV is spread through sharing needles or "works" when "shooting" drugs,
• Through needlesticks or sharps exposures on the job,
• Or from an infected mother to her baby during birth.

• Injecting drug users
• Recipients of clotting factors made before 1987
• Hemodialysis patients
• Recipients of blood and/or solid organs before 1992
• People with undiagnosed liver problems
• Infants born to infected mothers
• Healthcare/public safety workers
• People having sex with multiple partners
• People having sex with an infected steady partner

• Do not shoot drugs; if you shoot drugs, stop and get into a treatment program; if you can't stop, never share needles, syringes, water, or "works", and get vaccinated against hepatitis A & B.
• Do not share personal care items that might have blood on them (razors, toothbrushes).
• If you are a health care or public safety worker, always follow routine barrier precautions and safely handle needles and other sharps; get vaccinated against hepatitis B.
• Consider the risks if you are thinking about getting a tattoo or body piercing. You might get infected if the tools have someone else's blood on them or if the artist or piercer does not follow good health practices.
• HCV can be spread by sex, but this is rare. If you are having sex with more than one steady sex partner, use latex condoms* correctly and every time to prevent the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. You should also get vaccinated against hepatitis B.
• If you are HCV positive, do not donate blood, organs, or tissue.

Treatment and medical management

• HCV positive persons should be evaluated by their doctor for liver disease.
• Interferon and ribavirin are two drugs licensed for the treatment of persons with chronic hepatitis C.
• Interferon can be taken alone or in combination with ribavirin. Combination therapy, using pegylated interferon and ribavirin, is currently the treatment of choice.
• Combination therapy can get rid of the virus in up to 5 out of 10 persons for genotype 1 and in up to 8 out of 10 persons for genotype 2 and 3.
• Drinking alcohol can make your liver disease worse.

Source:  http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/c/fact.htm

For more information on hepatitis education and prevention, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/