Patient's question:
After buying a new apartment, I learned that my neighbor and the male owner of the apartment above me both have a history of hepatitis. I am very worried about poor environmental conditions and getting infected. What should I do? Should I focus on preventing hepatitis or should I withdraw from the purchase? Please help me find an answer from an expert!Doctor's answer:
Hepatitis has five types: A, B, C, D, and E, each with different modes of transmission. Type A hepatitis is primarily spread through the fecal-oral route. The virus excreted in feces is transmitted orally through contaminated hands, water, flies, and food, with daily contact being the main method. The modes of transmission for hepatitis B include: 1) undergoing surgery, using blood products, or employing industrially contaminated needles or acupuncture; 2) mother-to-child transmission (mainly through inhaling amniotic fluid during childbirth, blood from the birth canal, breastfeeding, and close contact, with approximately 5% of infections occurring through the placenta).