Sometimes it's easy to forget how common many diseases were before vaccines for them were introduced. When the disease is not around, people may not notice as much.

Many assume that once patients are diagnosed with a disease, they automatically begin receiving treatment for that condition — but researchers behind a new study warning that this may not be the case for many patients with hepatitis C.

Some people with hepatitis C experience serious side effects from or do not respond to interferons, the typical treatment for the disease. Fortunately, new research has shown promising results for a different type of treatment.

People at risk for certain infectious diseases are usually disqualified from being blood donors. However, new research suggests that they may still be safe organ donors.

Hepatitis, or inflammation of the liver, is often caused by infection with one of the hepatitis viruses. But reports are surfacing of a non-viral form of the disease with connections to a dietary supplement.

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) can cause serious liver disease which may require a liver transplant. And according to the authors of a new study, many cases of HCV in the US are among hard-to-treat patients with serious health issues — something not always represented in studies of this virus.

Ask some people to name the world's most dangerous diseases and they just may tick off several illnesses that dominate health news headlines. Hepatitis also should be on their radar, according to organizers of World Hepatitis Day.