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According to the CDC, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C are diseases caused by three different viruses.
Hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C have similar symptoms as they all infect the liver and they are all contagious but they are not transmitted the same way. The least severe amongst the three is hepatitis A.


Hepatitis A can vary in severity and can last from a few weeks to several months. Hepatitis A is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter — even in microscopic amounts — from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces or stool of an infected person. Unhygeinic sexual contacts can easily transmit hepatitis A from an infected person to a healthy person.

Hepatitis B is a contagious liver disease that usually spreads when blood, semen, or another body fluid from a person infected with the hepatitis B virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. This can happen through sexual contact with an infected person or sharing needles, syringes, or other drug-injection equipment. Even sharing a razor or a tooth brush used by an infected person, can sometimes pass the infection to a healthy person. Hepatitis B can also be passed from an infected mother to her baby at birth.

Hepatitis C is also a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis C virus. Similar to hepatitis B, it can manifest itself as acute or chronic forms. Hepatitis C is usually spread when blood from a person infected with the hepatitis C virus enters the body of someone who is not infected. Today, most people become infected with the hepatitis C virus by sharing needles or other equipment to inject drugs. However sharing a razor or even medical equipment that contains minute droplets of blood, can be a source of transmission of hepatitis C to a healthy person.