Basics
This comparison explains the biggest differences between hepatitis B and hepatitis C in plain language.
Medical reviewer
Dr. Aaron Patel, MD
Reviewed
April 21, 2026
Reading time
1 min read
Hepatitis B and hepatitis C both affect the liver, but they are not interchangeable. The viruses behave differently, the vaccination story is different, and the clinical conversation often changes depending on which virus is in question. One practical difference is prevention: there is a vaccine for hepatitis B, but not for hepatitis C. That alone changes how clinicians talk about…
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