Vaccination for Hepatitis A and B: Their Overall Role in Liver Health
Erin Yates, PA-C Liver Specialists of Texas Hepatitis is simply an inflammation of the liver. There are multiple causes of hepatitis including very common viruses such as hepatitis A, B and C. Hepatitis A virus is spread by close personal contact with someone who has the infection, eating food prepared by someone with hepatitis A or drinking contaminated water. Hepatitis B virus is a sexually transmitted disease or may be passed from a hepatitis B infected mother to child. It is not spread by shaking hands or hugging. The tables below show people at high risk of contracting hepatitis A and B. TABLE 1: High risk populations Hepatitis A (HAV) Hepatitis B (HBV) Travelers to developing countries with high rates of HAV (includes Mexico) Men who have sex with men IV drug users People exposed to hepatitis A in a research setting People who work with infected non-human primates …