Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are both viral conditions where the virus attacks the liver, which becomes inflamed. Hepatitis A, or HAV, is mainly transmitted through poor hygiene habits, especially in food handling. Check out the risk factors for contracting HAV and other ways that HAV can be spread.
The risk factors for hepatitis B differ from HAV. Hepatitis B, or HBV, spreads through blood and bodily fluids. Examples of this sort of transmission are sexual contact, sharing needles, and childbirth.
Worried that you may have been exposed to hepatitis? Find out the common symptoms of hepatitis and understand the 2 different forms of hepatitis B.
If you experience what you think might be hepatitis symptoms, be aware that it can take weeks from the time you could have been infected to show any symptoms of hepatitis, and even longer than that if you've been exposed to hepatitis B.