A risk factor is something that raises your chances of getting a health problem. Hepatitis spreads when you are exposed to it from contaminated:

• Stool
• Blood
• Semen
• Vaginal fluid
• Saliva
• Food
• Water
• Animals
• Items

The risk is higher for:

• People with jobs in daycare, healthcare, or public safety
• People who do not wash their hands well—especially after changing a diaper or using the bathroom
• Close contact with someone who has or carries hepatitis—this includes having sex
• Men who have sex with men
• People who have anal sex or oral to anal sex
• People who have many sex partners
• People who have sex with someone who has a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
• People who use IV drugs or share needles
• Babies born to mothers with hepatitis B, C, or E
• Exposure to items that are not sterilized correctly such as medical equipment, or tattoo or body piercing tools
• Living in or traveling to countries with poor sanitation, raw sewage, or untreated water

Having certain health conditions or procedures such as:

• Getting one or more blood transfusions, blood products, or organ transplants—mainly before 1992
• Hemodialysis to treat kidney disease
• Persistent higher than normal liver function tests
• A weak immune system—from a disease or treatment
• An STI or HIV