Hepatitis vaccines are a safe and effective way to prevent hepatitis A, B and D infections in many people (hepatitis D can be prevented with the hepatitis B vaccine). Though we don't yet have vaccines for hepatitis C, D and E, people with these infections may still benefit from hepatitis A and B vaccines.
Did you know that, in theory, the hepatitis A virus could be eradicated? It's true! Because humans are the only known reservoir of HAV, if enough people were immunized for hepatitis A, the infection could become like smallpox (and soon, polio) -- a disease only of the past. Unfortunately, this won't happen anytime soon, so take advantage of the safe and cost-effective hepatitis A vaccine.
Hepatitis B viruses infect millions of people worldwide, and are responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths each year. In the United States, 800,000 to 1.4 million people have chronic hepatitis B. For some of these people, hepatitis B infection will lead to the development of an unwanted complication, such as cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, hepatocellular carcinoma, extrahepatic manifestations, or even death. Fortunately, there is a safe and effective (better than 90%) vaccine that can protect you from hepatitis B infection.
A hepatitis C vaccine is not yet available, but researchers are working to develop one. This article introduces why we don't have a vaccine yet, and what challenges researchers will need to address before one is available. However, if you have chronic hepatitis C (or any chronic liver disease), you will still probably benefit from receiving the hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccines (and other vaccines, too). Ask your doctor for more information.
Hepatitis D
Hepatitis D doesn't have it's own vaccine, but it can be prevented with the hepatitis B vaccine. This is because the hepatitis D virus is unusual. It can only infect someone who has hepatitis B because it's a "defective virus." HDV doesn't have the necessary viral equipment to replicate itself. So to get around this problem, HDV depends on the hepatitis B virus for replication. By preventing hepatitis B infection, you can also prevent hepatitis D infection.
