What Causes Viral Hepatitis?
Hepatitis A and E are both transmitted by fecal-oral contamination through person-to-person contact. Poor hygiene is usually involved, with food (such as contaminated shellfish) or water being the vehicle by which the virus is transmitted. People typically contract these infections while traveling in an area where there is an outbreak of hepatitis or through contact with an infected person. Women with hepatitis B, C, D, or G have usually been exposed through sexual contact with an infected partner or intravenous exposure to contaminated blood. In the , the latter typically involves the sharing of needles between drug users. Hepatitis B, C, D, and E can all be transmitted from the mother to her baby during pregnancy. Hepatitis A and E are usually not associated with transmission to the fetus. Hepatitis B, C, and D (and perhaps G) have carrier states-meaning that someone can carry the virus without having the disease and can transmit it to others.
