Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Hepatitis Vaccination

Vaccination is both safe and effective, and it is strongly advised for everyone. When the hepatitis C virus was discovered more than 20 years ago, efforts to develop a vaccine began. The virus that causes hepatitis C is more varied than the viruses that cause hepatitis A and B. There are at least six genetically different versions of the hepatitis C virus, each with 50 subtypes. A worldwide vaccination would need to protect against all of the virus's variations. Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that is transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route, which occurs when small amounts of infected faeces are mistakenly consumed. Infected people begin shedding huge amounts of the virus in their stool two weeks before symptoms appear and continue to do so for the rest of their lives.