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Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that can be caused by many things, including viruses, alcohol, and drugs. The most common viruses that attack the liver are hepatitis A, B and C.

Hepatitis A and B can be prevented with vaccinations, which you can get from your provider or from our Immunization Clinic. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C.

Hepatitis A



Hepatitis B

Anyone who comes in contact with the blood, semen, or other bodily fluids of an infected person may contract hepatitis B. Hepatitis B can be transmitted from mother to child at birth. A person who develops chronic (life-long) hepatitis B infection is at risk for developing serious liver disease.  The hepatitis B vaccine is the best way to prevent an infection.

Hepatitis B prevention for pregnant women


Our public health nurse works with doctors, hospitals, and their patients so that babies get two shots within 12 hours after birth (hepatitis B vaccine and hepatitis B immune globulin). After the delivery, we continue to work with doctors to ensure follow-up care is provided.

Hepatitis C

Baby Boomers (born between 1945 and 1965) and people who inject drugs are at highest risk to contract hepatitis C. Most people infected with hepatitis C  do not know they have the disease until liver damage shows up in medical tests decades after first getting infected with the virus.

There is no vaccine to prevent hepatitis C.  A blood test can determine whether or not you are infected.  Knowing your hepatitis C status can help you to learn:

  • How to protect your liver from further harm
  • How to prevent spreading hepatitis to others
  • Whether treatment is needed or available

Contact us

Communicable Disease Surveillance & Response

Kathy Perkins, LPN

Phone: 425.339.8620

Fax: 425.339.5253


Did you know?

1 in 12 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders has Hepatitis B, but most do not know it.