Hepat = liver itis = inflammation There is more than one kind of hepatitis. A - G I believe, some are caused from ingestion of contaminated fecal matter, others intravenous drug use, sex. There are only vaccinations for forms A & B (as far as I know) But no, you don't get hep from not wiping thoroughly.

All forms of Hepatitis are viral infections. You cannot catch an infection from yourself no matter what you are thinking you may not have wiped thoroughly enough.

The other answer is not correct. Here is the accurate information: There are FIVE types of hepatitis: A, B, C, D, and E, each caused by a different hepatitis virus. Hepatitis A: Caused by eating food and drinking water infected with a virus called HAV. It can also be caused by anal-oral contact during sex. While it can cause swelling and inflammation in the liver, it doesn't lead to chronic, or life long, disease. Almost everyone who gets hepatitis A has a full recovery. This is the easiest on your body. Hepatitis B: Caused by the virus HBV. It is spread by contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or other body fluid. And, it is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). You can get hepatitis B by: - Having unprotected sex (not using a condom) with an infected person. - Sharing drug needles (for illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine or legal drugs like vitamins and steroids). - Getting a tattoo or body piercing with dirty ((not sterilized)) needles and tools that were used on someone else. - Getting pricked with a needle that has infected blood on it (health care workers can get hepatitis B this way). - Sharing a toothbrush, razor, or other personal items with an infected person. - An infected woman can give hepatitis B to her baby at birth or through her breast milk. - Through a bite from another person. - With hepatitis B, the liver also swells. (hepatamegaly). Hepatitis B can be a serious infection that can cause liver damage, which may result in cancer. Some people are not able to get rid of the virus, which makes the infection chronic, or life long. Blood banks test all donated blood for hepatitis B, greatly reducing the risk for getting the virus from blood transfusions or blood products. **As an aside, my father died from this form a bad blood transfusion!** Hepatitis C: Caused by the virus CV. It is spread the same way as hepatitis B, through contact with an infected person's blood, semen, or body fluid. Like hepatitis B, hepatitis C causes swelling of the liver and can cause liver damage that can lead to cancer. Most people who have hepatitis C develop a chronic infection. This may lead to a scarring of the liver, called **cirrhosis.** Blood banks test all donated blood for hepatitis C, greatly reducing the risk for getting the virus from blood transfusions or blood products. Naomi Judd has this form of Hepatitis. Hepatitis D: Caused by the virus HDV. **You can only get hepatitis D if you are already infected with hepatitis B.** It is spread through contact with infected blood, dirty needles that have HDV on them, and unprotected sex (not using a condom) with a person infected with HDV. Hepatitis D causes swelling of the liver. Hepatitis E: Caused by the virus HEV. You get hepatitis E by drinking water infected with the virus. This type of hepatitis doesn't often occur in the U.S. This is why it is so important to get vaccinations before traveling to countries where this disease is very common. It causes swelling of the liver, but no long-term damage. It can also be spread through oral-anal contact. All in all they are all bad news, but if you have to get one, A is the kind you would hope to get I suppose. There are vaccinations for this that healthcare workers take. If you want to know alot more on the subject this is just one of many good sites: http://www.noah-health.org/en/kidver/liver/diseases/hepatitis/what/atog/

There is Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E and G. Check out http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/ for info as well as http://www.info.gov.hk/hepatitis/leaflet/bil_03/indexe.htm