Hepatitis: An alarming fact

The word hepatitis came from the Ancient Greek word hepar (root word hepat) meaning 'liver', and the Latin itis meaning inflammation. Hepatitis means injury to the liver with inflammation of the liver cells. There are five main types of hepatitis and the type is commonly determined by a laboratory test.

Here are some key points about hepatitis.

·        The five main types of hepatitis are caused by viruses.

·        Globally, around 250 million people are affected by hepatitis C and 300 million people are estimated to be hepatitis B carriers.

• Hepatitis A is caused by consuming contaminated food or water.
• Hepatitis B is a sexually transmitted disease.
• Hepatitis C is commonly spread via direct contact with the blood of a person who has the disease.
• A person can only become infected with hepatitis D if they are already infected with hepatitis B.
• Person can become infected with the hepatitis E virus (HEV) by drinking contaminated water.
• Hepatitis that cannot be attributed to one of the viral forms of the disease is called hepatitis X.
• Hepatitis G is another type of hepatitis caused by a specific virus (HGV).
• The initial symptoms of hepatitis are similar to those of flu.