Hepatitis C has already infected three times more people than AIDS, warned former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, and by the turn of the century, he said it will kill far more people than AIDS each year.

There are six strains of the hepatitis virus: Hepatitis A (HAV), B (HBV) C (HCV), are the most common. Hepatitis D (HDV), E (HEV), F (HFV) and G (HGV) occur in the presence of three predominant strains. The latter three were also recently discovered and are not well documented. Vaccinations have been developed for HAV and HBV.

Eating food or drinking water that has been contaminated with human excrement contracts Hepatitis A. His strain of hepatitis usually runs its course within six months and does not develop into a chronic disease.
Hepatitis B (HBV) is a more serious strain and can lead to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer. HBV is spread predominantly through sexual contact, according to the American Liver Foundation.
Other risk factors include use of contaminated needles among intravenous drug users, individuals receiving multiple transfusions and working in health care or other professional settings in which individuals are exposed to blood or blood products. The Liver Foundation estimates that there are about 1.2 million HBV carriers in the US alone.

Of all the strains, hepatitis C (HCV) poses the greatest health threat at this time. Un like the other forms of hepatitis, there is no vaccine against HCV. People can carry HCV for years and have no symptoms. According to the surgeon general, “some people will think they have a touch of the flu and only find out they have the disease in a routine blood test which will pick up the antibodies to Hep C.”

The infection can be carried for more than 20 years with out knowing, but eventually, many of those infected will develop chronic liver disease with jaundice (yellow of the skin and eyes) and abdominal swelling. With out treatment the infected persons can die.

Hepatitis can, however, be prevented as long as safe sex is always practiced and objects such as needles, razors, toothbrushes, nail files and clippers are not shared Instruments used for the purposes of manicure, tattoo and piercing should be properly sterilized.

Professionals who are exposed to blood in their work ( health care workers, laboratory technicians, dentists, police officers, fire fighters, or those who live with an infected individual

should be vaccinated against hepatitis B. People who travel in geographic areas that have poor sanitation should also consider getting vaccinated against Hepatitis A.
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