Hepatitis A is said to be one of the oldest diseases known to mankind. A man named Steven M. Feinstone discovered the virus in 1973. The word hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. There are five different strains of the hepatitis virus and they are A, B, C, D, and E. Hepatitis A is spread by fecal-oral contact, person to person in areas with low sanitation, or by anal-oral sexual contact. This means that hepatitis A can be found more commonly in males who have sex with males. Some foods that are the most common to find hepatitis …show more content…
It is estimated that 1.4 million people are infected worldwide every year. Epidemics may be explosive and can impact economies. One of the most effect ways to fight the hepatitis A virus is to improve sanitation and the vaccine. In areas with low sanitation most of the children under then already have the virus. These children usually don’t show any noticeable signs of the virus and epidemics usually don’t happen because the adults are immune to the virus. The average incubation period is usually 14-28 days. The symptoms of hepatitis A can include nausea, loss of appetite, fever, diarrhea, malaise, abdominal discomfort, dark coloured urine and the yellowing of the whites of the eyes and skin. There is no cure, but there are treatments to overcome the symptoms (“Hepatitis …show more content…
However unlike HAV you can contract HBV from simple sexual contact. You could also contract HBV from sharing needles or anyone who comes in contact with human blood that is infected. A mother can also pass the virus to her child if she is pregnant. With acute hepatitis B your body can clear the virus in less than six months. With chronic hepatitis B it can last longer than six months and it’s when you immune system isn’t able to fight the acute infection. When that happens it could last a lifetime and cause liver cancer and cirrhosis (“Hepatitis B”). When you first get hepatitis B you may have no symptoms, feel sick for a few days or weeks, or you may become very ill quickly (“Hepatitis B: MedlinePlus Medical