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Types of infectious hepatitis and their modes of transmission
We can start breaking down hepatitis by infectious and non-infectious causes. The hepatitis virus causes infectious hepatitis, but keep in mind that other viruses and bacteria may also trigger a similar inflammatory condition.
How do you get infectious hepatitis? It depends on which hepatitis virus you’re exposed to.
Hepatitis A and E
These viruses live in body fluids and the feces. The most common mode of transmission is by contact with contaminated water or food. You can get this type of hepatitis by staying close to an infected individual, too. It is highly contagious and usually causes an acute and symptomatic condition. Thus, you can generally identify diseased individuals, unless they are in a prodromal stage of the disease, in which they could be spreading the virus without knowing or displaying any symptom.
Hepatitis B and D
These viruses run in the blood, and they are present in certain body fluids, not all of them. You won’t likely get hepatitis by staying in the same room with an individual infected with hepatitis B or D. Instead, you get infected by receiving a blood donation from them or having sex with them. You need sexual contact or blood-to-blood contact to get this type of hepatitis infection. Another common mode of transmission is by accident, through a needle prick in a healthcare facility. If the needle was not sterilized and was previously in contact with a patient, doctors and nurses need to undergo tests to detect an HIV or hepatitis B infection.
Hepatitis C
This virus is similar to hepatitis B, but the transmission mode is somewhat different. You can get hepatitis C by receiving a blood transfusion from an infected individual. A needle prick will also put yourself in danger of getting the disease. The difference is that sexual contact is not as relevant as in hepatitis B. You can get hepatitis C by having unprotected sex with an infected individual, but the transmission rate is lower. The advice is to keep protecting yourself because, even though the risk is lower, it is not zero.
