Identified methods of transmission include contact with blood, blood transfusion (now rare), unsanitary tattoos, sex (through sexual intercourse or contact with bodily fluids), or mother-to-child by breast feeding; there is minimal evidence of transplacental crossing. However, in about half of cases the source of infection cannot be determined. Blood contact can occur by sharing syringes in intravenous drug use, shaving accessories such as razor blades, or touching wounds on infected persons. Needle-exchange programmes have been created in many countries as a form of prevention.Patients with chronic hepatitis B have antibodies against the virus, but not enough to clear the infected liver cells. The continued production of virus and countervailing antibodies is a likely cause of the immune complex disease seen in these patients. A vaccine is available to prevent infection for life. Hepatitis B infections result in 500,000 to 1,200,000 deaths per year worldwide due to the complications of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Hepatitis B is endemic in a number of (mainly South-East Asian) countries, making cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma big killers. There are eight treatment options approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) available for persons with a chronic hepatitis B infection: alpha-interferon, pegylated interferon, adefovir, entecavir, telbivudine, lamivudine, tenofovir disoproxil and tenofovir alafenamide with a 65% rate of sustained response. Hepatitis C
Hepatitis C (originally "non-A non-B hepatitis") is caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV), an RNA virus of the family Flaviviridae.
Other viruses than can cause hepatitis include:

Adenoviruses
Arenaviruses: Guanarito virus, Junín virus, Lassa fever virus, Lujo virus, Machupo virus, and Sabiá virus
Bunyaviruses: Crimean–Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Dobrava virus, Hantaan virus, Puumala virus, Rift Valley fever virus, and Seoul virus
Coronavirus: severe acute respiratory syndrome virus
Erythrovirus: Parvovirus B19
Filoviruses: Ebola virus and Marburg virus
Flaviviruses: dengue, Kyasanur Forest disease virus, Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus, and yellow fever virus
Herpesviruses: cytomegalovirus, Epstein–Barr virus, varicella-zoster virus, human herpesvirus 6, human herpesvirus 7, and human herpesvirus 8
Orthomyxoviruses: influenza
Picornaviruses: echovirus
Reovirus: Colorado tick fever virus, reovirus 3Additionally, a casual role between the virus KIs-V and hepatitis is suspected based on a 2011 study that isolated KIs-V from four patients with raised serum alanine transferases without other known cause. References


== External links ==