1. Hepatitis A is the milder form of hepatitis, which rarely causes death or lasting damage to the liver. Most people with hepatitis A recover in a few weeks or months. Hepatitis A, like hepatitis E, is transmitted through contaminated food or drinks, but is preventable through immunization.
2. Hepatitis B is transmitted through infected blood and other bodily fluids and is therefore commonly passed through sex, the sharing of needles, or from a mother to her child. A vaccine for hepatitis B does exist and infected adults usually recover from the disease within a few months and are immune to the disease afterwards. However, hepatitis B can cause cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer and can result in death if left untreated.
3. Hepatitis C, much like hepatitis B, is spread through infected blood. There is no vaccination for hepatitis C and, although in some cases it only lasts for a few weeks, it can also develop into a life-long chronic infection that can lead to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and death.

STATS

Case studies in the U.S identifies the following Hepatitis B and C outbreaks from 2008 to 2018.

Hepatitis B (total 25 outbreaks including two of both HBV and HCV, 183 outbreak-associated cases, 13,246 persons notified for screening):

• 19 outbreaks occurred in long-term care facilities, with at least 133 outbreak-associated cases of HBV and approximately 1,679 at-risk persons notified for screening
• 79% (15/19) of the outbreaks were associated with infection control breaks during assisted monitoring of blood glucose (AMBG)
• 6 outbreaks occurred in other settings, one each at: an outpatient cardiology clinic, a free dental clinic in school gymnasium, an outpatient oncology clinic, a hospital surgery service, and two at pain remediation clinics (one outbreak of HBV and one with both HBV and HCV), with 50 outbreak-associated cases of HBV and 11,567 persons at-risk persons notified for screening

Hepatitis C (43 total outbreaks including two of both HBV and HCV, 328 outbreak-associated cases, >112,406 at-risk persons notified for screening):

• 16 outbreaks occurred in outpatient or long-term care facilities (including the two outbreaks of both HBV and HCV also listed above), with 134 outbreak-associated cases of HCV and >80,293 persons notified for screening
• 22 outbreaks occurred in hemodialysis settings, with 104 outbreak-associated cases of HCV and 3,134 persons notified for screening

Four outbreaks occurred because of drug diversion by HCV-infected health care providers, with at least 90 outbreak-associated cases of HCV and 28,989 persons notified for screening