It is usually spread by close personal contact and sometimes by eating food or drinking water containing the virus. A person with hepatitis A can easily pass the disease to others within the same household. It can be passed from an infected mother to her newborn during childbirth and from one person to another through blood or body fluids or by intimate contact. The hepatitis B virus can cause liver damage, liver cancer and death. It is the second most common cause of human cancer.
Flu is spread through sneezing, coughing or direct contact with the infected individual.
Children and family members with certain long-term health problems, such as asthmaor diabetes are especially at risk for serious complications from the flu. Such complications include pneumonia, dehydration, meningitis, and even death. Influenza is a major cause of death among elderly persons. Measles causes a high fever, rash, and cold-like symptoms. It can lead to hearing loss, pneumonia, brain damage, and even death.