Hepatitis regrowth in children raises alert 0:34 (CNN Spanish) — Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, a vital organ of our body that processes nutrients, filters blood and fights infections, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diseases (CDC). More than a million people in the world die each year from this virus, which has five main types: A, B, C, D and E. Here, the key facts about the disease. How hepatitis is transmitted In most cases, hepatitis A is transmitted through contaminated water or food (which is why it is common in low- and middle-income countries with problems in access to drinking water, explains the World Organization of Health, WHO). These are the same causes of transmission as hepatitis E. B, meanwhile, is transmitted through bodily fluids such as blood or semen. In the case of hepatitis C, blood is also the main route of transmission. Currently, the CDC says, most people get the virus from sharing needles or other objects used to prepare or inject drugs. Hepatitis D, which can only infect people with hepatitis B, is spread through blood or sexual contact. Hepatitis symptoms There are many people with hepatitis who have no symptoms or only mild symptoms, according to the WHO. Symptoms can take decades to develop, the CDC explains, clarifying that in cases of acute infections they can begin to be seen between two weeks and six months after exposure to the virus. Each form of the virus, according to the WHO, can lead to more severe symptoms. For hepatitis A, B, and C, the most common in the United States, symptoms can include malaise, diarrhea, fever, loss of appetite, jaundice, and dark urine. In certain cases, the virus can “cause a chronic infection of the liver that can subsequently progress to cirrhosis (permanent scarring of the liver) or liver cancer,” says the WHO. In these cases there is a risk of death. In cases of hepatitis D, which develops only in individuals who had already been infected with the B virus, there may be a “faster progression of cirrhosis”, explains the WHO, although it states that cases of chronic hepatitis D They are rare. Hepatitis E, meanwhile, shares several symptoms with the earlier types, including loss of appetite, fever, nausea and vomiting. In certain cases it can lead to joint or abdominal pain, skin rashes or itching. Here, too, cases of jaundice and dark urine, as well as pale stools, can occur. Symptoms of hepatitis E, according to the WHO, can also include “mildly enlarged and tender liver (hepatomegaly) and sometimes acute liver failure.” Prevention and treatments There are vaccines against hepatitis A, B (and this protects against D) and E. The hepatitis E vaccine, however, is not currently widely available, according to the WHO. The vaccine that prevents hepatitis B also acts against D. If applied at the time of delivery, explains the WHO, it reduces “greatly” the risk of the mother transmitting the virus to the child. In the case of hepatitis A, the CDC explains that what is done is supportive treatment for symptoms. Not all people with chronic hepatitis B infection need treatment, explains the WHO. However, this infection can be treated with antivirals, and the treatment has three advantages: it can delay the development of cirrhosis, “reduce the incidence of liver cancer and improve long-term survival,” says the WHO. In cases of hepatitis B and E, patients are advised not to take unnecessary medications due to the negative effects they may have on liver function. In the case of hepatitis C, for which there is no vaccine, antivirals can cure more than 95% of cases, reducing the chances of death from liver cancer or cirrhosis. However, says the WHO, access to diagnosis and treatment is still limited. According to the CDC, treatments can cure most in 8 to 12 weeks. Risks In the case of hepatitis A (which can last from a few weeks to several months), most cases are mild and “people recover fully and develop immunity against future infections,” says the WHO. However, they warn, serious infections can occur with a risk of life-threatening liver failure. Hepatitis B, meanwhile, can last only a few weeks or become a chronic condition. Between 5%-25% of people with chronic infections develop some type of liver disease such as cirrhosis, liver failure or liver cancer. The risk of the infection being chronic, the CDC explains, is linked to a person’s age. Only between 2% and 6% of adults who contract hepatitis B develop a chronic disease, while the figure rises to about 90% in cases of very young children. In the case of hepatitis C, according to the CDC, more than 50% develop a chronic infection and this type of infection can lead to serious health problems such as liver cancer and cirrhosis (in fact, the institution’s statistics say that between 5% and 25% of those with a chronic infection develop cirrhosis over a period of 10 to 20 years). Another point to keep in mind in this case is that, since people often do not feel bad, when symptoms do appear, they are usually a sign of advanced liver disease. Hepatitis D, the CDC says, can cause serious illness with lifelong liver damage and even death. Finally, hepatitis E, except in rare cases of chronic infection in people with compromised immune systems, most people recover completely without complications.