What Is the Difference Between Hepatitis A, B, and C, and How Are They Contracted?
I recently read an excellent article on this subject, and am happy to sum up the high points of this article from the “Awake” magazine, in its August 2010 issue here: Hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, can be devastating to a person’s health. When the liver is inflamed, it can be difficult for the liver to do its job of filtering poisons, and this and many other important functions of the liver may be compromised with hepatitis. Five viruses are known to cause hepatitis, and the three most common are type A, B,and C. I will characterize each condition below: Hepatitis A (HAV): HAV is present in the feces of an infected person. The virus can survive in salt or fresh water and in ice cubes. A person can come in contact with HAV by: • Eating uncooked seafood from water contaminated with human waste or ingesting contaminated water • Having close physical contact with an infected person or sharing food, drink, or eating utensils with him • Not washing hands thoroughly after using the
