About Hepatitis

• Hepatitis refers to an inflammatory condition of the liver. Usually caused by a viral infection, but there exists other possible causes of hepatitis which are autoimmune responses, medications, drugs, toxins, and alcohol.
• There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D, and E.
  • In particular, types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.
  • Hepatitis A and E are typically caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water. 
  • Hepatitis B, C and D usually occur as a result of parenteral contact with infected body fluids. Common modes of transmission for these viruses include receipt of contaminated blood or blood products, invasive medical procedures using contaminated equipment and for hepatitis B transmission from mother to baby at birth, from family member to child, and also by sexual contact.
• Acute infection may occur with limited or no symptoms, or may include symptoms such as jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, extreme fatigue, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
  

Vaccines

• There are vaccines to prevent Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B; however, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
• In India, Hepatitis B vaccine is provided under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP). Hepatitis B vaccine also provides protection from Hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection.
• A vaccine to prevent Hepatitis E virus infection has been developed and is licensed in China, but is not yet available elsewhere.