Hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C are liver infections caused by three different viruses. Although each can cause similar symptoms, they are spread in different ways and can affect the liver differently. Hepatitis A is usually a short-term infection and does not become chronic. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C can also begin as short-term, acute infections, but in some people, the virus remains in the body, resulting in chronic disease and long-term liver problems. There are vaccines to prevent hepatitis A and hepatitis B; however, there is no vaccine for hepatitis C.
Hepatitis B is a liver disease that can cause mild illness lasting a few weeks, or it can lead to serious, lifelong illness. Hepatitis B is spread when blood, semen, or other body fluid of an infected person enters the body of a person who is not infected.
The first reported case of hepatitis after a blood transfusion was in 1938 by R. Junet and W. Junet in the Revue Médicale Suisse (a medical journal published in French). This became a big issue during WWII when they pooled plasma: one infected donor would affect everyone.
