July 2022 PSA: World Hepatitis Day

July 28^th is the birthday of the physician who developed the Hepatitis B vaccine in 1969 and as such is chosen as the date for World Hepatitis Day.  The purpose of World Hepatitis Day is to raise awareness about viral hepatitis.

The three most common forms of viral hepatitis are A, B and C.

Type                      How spread

Hepatitis A          Close contact with an infected person; contaminated food or water

Hepatitis B          Through infected blood or other body fluids including sharing needles

Hepatitis C          Through infected blood or other body fluids; high risk sexual practices

Type                      Prevalence

Hepatitis A          Extremely rare (Fewer than 1,000 cases per year in US)

Hepatitis B          Common (More than 200,000 cases per year in US)

Hepatitis C          Common (More than 200,000 cases per year in US)

Type                      Vaccine?              Treatment?        Cure?

Hepatitis A          Yes                         Yes                         Most people make a full recovery

Hepatitis B          Yes                         Yes                         In development

Hepatitis C          No                          Yes                         Yes

For Minnesota-specific information, we recommend the Minnesota Department of Health.

The CDC has excellent educational materials.