Answer:

Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. Viral hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by a virus. There are five identified types of viral hepatitis and each one is caused by a different virus. In the United States, hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C are the most common types. Hepatitis A is caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV), hepatitis B is caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C is caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV).

Answer:

The symptoms of acute (newly acquired) hepatitis A, B, and C are the same. Symptoms occur more often in adults than in children. If symptoms occur, they might include:

• tiredness
• loss of appetite
• nausea
• abdominal discomfort
• dark urine
• clay-colored bowel movements
• yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice)

Answer:

Hepatitis A virus is spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A. This type of transmission is called "fecal-oral."

HBV is spread when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected. For example, HBV is spread through having sex with an infected person without using a condom, by sharing drugs, needles, or "works" when "shooting" drugs, through needlesticks or sharps exposures on the job, or from an infected mother to her baby during birth.

HCV is spread when blood from an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected. This could happen 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.

Answer:

HAV can live outside the body for months, depending on the environmental conditions.

HBV can survive outside the body at least 7 days and still be capable of transmitting infection.

Recent studies have shown that HCV can survive outside the body and still transmit infection for 16 hours, but not longer than 4 days.

Answer:

Studies indicate that vaccination against the illness lasts at least 23 years.

Answer:

No, booster doses of hepatitis B vaccine are not recommended routinely.

Answer:

“Hepatitis B carrier” is a term that is sometimes used to indicate people who have chronic (long-term) infection with HBV. Persons with chronic infection can infect others and are at increased risk of serious liver disease including cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Answer:

No. If the vaccination series is interrupted, resume with the next dose in the series.

Answer:

There are at least five drugs used for the treatment of people with chronic hepatitis B: Adefovir dipivoxil, interferon alfa-2b, pegylated interferon alfa-2a, lamivudine, and entecavir.

Answer:

Combination therapy, using pegylated interferon and ribavirin, is currently the treatment of choice.