Causes
Hepatitis A is mainly transmitted through the fecal-oral route. That means infected people shed viruses in their feces. If they don't observe proper hygiene, the virus can end up on their hands. It's then spread by food they've handled, or sometimes by touching other people who then bite their nails, handle their food, and so on. The virus can survive on a tabletop, doorknob, telephone, or other such place for 2 or 3 hours at room temperature. You can also get hepatitis A from direct contact such as kissing and by sex or sharing needles. Many people who are infected have no symptoms, yet they can pass the disease on.
People at high risk for hepatitis A are:
- anyone who lives with an infected person
- children and workers in daycare centers
- homosexual men
- intravenous drug users
- people with many sexual partners
- people who live in permanent institutions like homes for the developmentally disabled, or who are in the Armed Forces
- those who have recently been in the Middle East, South America, Eastern Europe, Central America, Africa, or Southeast Asia
Hepatitis B and HIV are spread by blood and body fluids. The main routes of transmission are sex, sharing needles, and childbirth, when the baby is likely to pick up the virus from his/her mother through the birth canal. Hepatitis B has an extra complication - some infected people become lifelong carriers, whether they have symptoms or not. Many people infected are asymptomatic (have no symptoms) but can pass the virus on. The virus is more common in the homosexual community than HIV because it is more infectious.