Vaccines are available. Hepatitis B Transmission - Direct contact with infected blood or bodily fluids, such as from sharing drug needles or having sex with an infected person. Babies can be infected by their mothers during birth. Symptoms - Jaundice, fatigue, abdominal and joint pain, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer, however most people infected with the virus do not develop chronic infection.
Some people never develop symptoms.
Treatment - The drug interferon reduces the chance of a return of the disease and can be effective in about 30 percent to 40 percent of patients. A vaccine has been available since the early 1980s. Hepatitis C Transmission - Shared drug needles, sexual contact and blood transfusions prior to 1992. Babies can get the disease from their mothers during birth. Symptoms - Most people never experience acute symptoms such as fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, jaundice, nausea and vomitting.