My WebMD Sign In, Sign Up

Ask Your Question

WebMD Answers

120 Characters remaining
120 Characters remaining


Posted: | Report This Report Question |

i know how you can get hepititis c but how can you get b or a

my husbands brother has hhepititis but doesnt remeber if its a b or c and just slept with my best friend if he has a or b can she get it

Related Topics: Hepatitis C

Answers From Experts & Organizations (1)

General Medicine
1,242 Answers
18,034 Helpful Votes
This is a good question. "Hepatitis" refers to inflammation of the liver. The "A," "B," and "C" designations refer to different causes of the inflammation.

Hepatitis A is a virus transmitted through the stool of infected people. Hepatitis A is the type of hepatitis you get when someone doesn't wash their hands after going to the bathroom and then prepares food, which you subsequently eat. In a healthy adult, Hepatitis A infection usually doesn't require any treatment. It clears up on its own over the course of weeks to months and doesn't cause any long-term problems.

Hepatitis B
also is caused by a virus, but it's a distinctly different virus than the one that causes Hep-A. Hepatitis B is transmitted through unprotected sex, unsterilized tattoo needles, shared drug needles, and so on. Many people who get Hep-B don't even know they have it. It often clears up and goes away without treatment. If a person has been immunized against Hep-B and has a sufficient level of antibodies in their system, they can't get the virus even through unprotected sex. A doctor can do a simple blood test for Hep-B antibodies to determine if a person has (or had) Hepatitis B or if they've had the vaccination for it.

Hepatitis C is spread only through direct contact with infected blood. It's unlikely to get Hepatitis C through unprotected sex. Hep-C is most commonly spread by the shared use of infected needles when injecting illegal drugs. Hep-C also can be spread through the re-use of contaminated tattoo needles and piercing equipment.

So, to answer your question, if your brother-in-law has Hepatitis C, it's unlikely he could transmit that through unprotected sex. On the other hand, Hepatitis B is commonly spread through sexual relations.

Please remind your friend and your brother-in-law to always practice safe sex. Hepatitis is just one of many potential sexually transmitted diseases a person can contract from having unprotected sex. Diseases like genital herpes and human papillomavirus are incurable. It's not worth the risk.

Best to you!


| Report This Report Answer

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback.

9 of 9 found this helpful