Viral hepatitis is infection and inflammation of the liver caused by a virus.
Different types of hepatitis are caused by different viruses. The exact type of hepatitis your child has cannot be known right away. Blood test results can determine exactly what type of hepatitis your child has, but the test takes several days. A person who has hepatitis A or B may not seem or look sick or unhealthy at all, so it may be hard to tell how your child got hepatitis. Sometimes there are outbreaks at day care centers or restaurants.