You may be surprised to learn that there are over 100 types of liver disease. One type is viral Hepatitis. Caused by viruses that attack the liver, viral hepatitis comes in many forms. The most common of these are hepatitis A, B and C.

Hepatitis A is spread by contaminated food and water. It is very common in some parts of the world and generally causes a shorter term illness than the other forms.

Hepatitis B and C are both spread by infected blood. Hepatitis B is very infectious and can also be spread by body fluids. These types of Hepatitis are longer-lasting forms of the disease and can be life-long; leading to further complications such as liver cirrhosis, and cancer.

Although there is no vaccine available for Hepatitis C, vaccines are available for both Hepatitis A, and B. This provides an opportunity to prevent these forms of the virus. Hepatitis B vaccine is offered free from Public Health to all students in grade 7 until the end of their grade 8 year.

To learn more about liver disease in Canada visit www.liver.ca

If you require further vaccine information, please call us at 519.355.1071 ext. 5900.