Hepatitis D
Alternate Names : Hepatitis Delta
What can be done to prevent the infection?
Right now, there is no vaccine for hepatitis D. The best way to prevent the D
virus is to prevent hepatitis B. This can be done by getting the
hepatitis B vaccine, avoiding unsterile needles, and following safer sex guidelines.
What are the long-term effects of the infection?
Rarely, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis can occur. Cirrhosis is a serious
disease that causes scarring of the liver. Severe hepatitis and cirrhosis may
require a liver transplant and can result in death.
What are the risks to others?
A person with the hepatitis D virus can usually transmit both hepatitis B
and hepatitis D. The viruses have been found in blood, saliva, semen, and
vaginal secretions of infected individuals. They can be spread through sexual
contact with an infected person, passed on to a newborn from an infected mother
during childbirth, or transmitted by contact with infected blood or bodily
fluids.
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