Hepatitis A Virus

According to the World Health Organization, “Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, most commonly caused by a viral infection.” This disease is severely harmful because it attacks and affects the liver. The liver is responsible for producing chemicals to stop blood clots, regulating what enters the bloodstream, and storing/processing vitamins, irons, and minerals. Without the proper function of the liver, the human body cannot sufficiently operate. Research from the Center of Disease Control (CDC) states that "Up to as many as 5.3 million persons are living with hepatitis” and many of them are unaware that they even had it. This problem is diminishing in many places, however it is still widely evident in lower economically developed countries.
A person can spread the hepatitis A virus if their feces come into contact with someone else, since the virus lives and can be found in the infecteds stool/feces. This is why the hepatitis A virus is mainly transmitted through contaminated food, water, sanitation, or even lack of personal hygiene. If a person consumes contaminated food or comes into contact with the virus, the person will then begin to receive the disease and ultimately become infected with Hepatitis A. Similarly, hepatitis E is transmitted when water is contaminated with the infecteds stool/feces. Once one drinks the contaminated water with the hepatitis E virus, he/she will recover within 4-6 weeks as it is known to be a “self-limiting infection,” however there are cases where the person dies if the liver becomes severely
Hepatitis B is usually spread through body fluids that contain the virus. It is usually contracted from mother to childbirth, sexual contact, and contaminated blood transfusions/needles. The most common form of the hepatitis disease is when a person has the hepatitis C virus. This virus can be transmitted from one person to another through the use of contaminated needles. It is even more dangerous because it can be found in 25% of people who are HIV positive and can damage a person's liver even more if they have HIV. In contrast, hepatitis D is one of the most rarest form of the hepatitis disease where the person must carry the hepatitis B virus for it to be present. It is also found in those who use needles as well. The different forms of hepatitis can overall be pretty dangerous to a person's health where their liver can be critically affected. However, the hepatitis virus and disease can be prevented and