Hepatitis is a disease of the liver — the large organ on the upper right of your belly that helps clean the blood and handle food. The liver becomes inflamed: swollen and angry. In doctor-words, -itis means that kind of swelling, so the name is almost “liver inflammation”. People usually talk about three virus kinds. Hepatitis A often comes from dirty food or water. It can make you very tired and turn the skin and eyes yellow, but most people get well and it does not stay for years. Hepatitis B and C usually pass through blood, and B can also pass through sex. They may hide in the body for a long time and slowly scar the liver, which is why books call them much more serious. There are also types D and E, which you will hear less often. The yellow colour people notice is a sign, not the whole illness. Though actually, many people with B or C do not turn yellow at first, so they may not know they have it. People also say hepatitis when the liver is inflamed from too much alcohol or from some medicines, not only from a virus. It is a serious medical word: health forms, news, travel advice, vaccines. There are vaccines for A and B, but not for C.