What is Hepatitis A ?
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV).
HAV is spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with HAV infection. This type of spread is called "fecal-oral." This can happen in a variety of ways, such as when an infected person who prepares or handles food doesn't wash his or her hands adequately after using the toilet and then touches other people's food. A person can also be infected by drinking water contaminated with HAV or drinking beverages chilled with contaminated ice. Contaminated food, water, and ice can be significant sources of infection for travelers to many areas of the world. For this reason, the virus is more easily spread in areas where there are poor sanitary conditions or where good personal hygiene is not observed.
Most infections in the United States result from contact with a household member or a sex partner who has hepatitis A; however the proportion of cases of hepatitis A among international travelers, illegal drug users, and men who have sex with men has been increasing. Casual contact, as in the usual office, factory, or school setting, does not spread the virus.
Sex involves close, intimate contact (vaginal, anal, or oral sex) and increases the risk of exposure to HAV in the feces of an infected person.
The Symptoms of Hepatitis A.
A lot of people have no symptoms at all. They do not know they have hepatitis A. Some people have a milder infection with some fatige and cold symptoms. Usually younger children have a milder infection.
Some of the possible symptoms include:
- Flu like symptoms;fever,chills,diarrhea
- Decreased appetite
- Nausea
- Jaundice (yellow color in the skin and the eyes)
- Dark urine (tea color)
- Pale stool
- Belly pain
- Fatigue
Symptoms usually last less than 2 months; however, a few people are ill for as long as 6 months.
Treatments for Hepatitis A
There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A, but supportive treatment is given to address the symptoms. Full recovery is common. Hepatitis A infection confers lifelong immunity in individuals who have been infected.
Prevention and Personal Precautions
Most travellers are at low risk of acquiring HAV infection. However, cases of hepatitis A have occurred in travellers to developing countries who stay in rural areas or in standard-level tourist accommodations where the hygienic quality of the food and water supply may be inadequate. Taking food and water precautions is the best means of preventing hepatitis A infection. Moreover, hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable disease.
Because hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food and water. Key principles to remember are: boil it, cook it, peel it or leave it!
- Eat only food that has been well-cooked and is still hot when served.
- Drink only purified water that has been boiled or disinfected with chlorine or iodine, or commercially bottled water in sealed containers.
- Carbonated drinks without ice, including beer, are usually safe.
- Avoid ice, unless it has been made with purified water.
- Boil unpasteurized milk.
- Avoid unpasteurized dairy products and ice cream.
- Avoid uncooked foods -- especially shellfish -- and salads. Fruit and vegetables that can be peeled are usually safe.
- Avoid food from street vendors.
- Wash hands before eating or drinking.
Protection against hepatitis A through immunization with a vaccine
Who should obtain the new hepatitis A vaccine?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends hepatitis A vaccine for:
- travelers to countries with high rates of hepatitis A;
- people living in communities with high rates of hepatitis A;
- people in certain outbreak settings;
- laboratory personnel who work with hepatitis A virus;
- sexually active homosexual/bisexual men;
- people with existing chronic liver disease;
- injecting drug users;
- all children between the ages of 1 and 2
Can a person get infected with HAV more than once?
No. Once you recover from the infection, you develop antibodies called anti-HAV that provide life-long protection from future infections. After recovering from hepatitis A, you won’t get it again and you cannot transmit HAV to others.
How does HAV different from Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Hepatitis C virus (HCV)?
- HAV, HBV, and HCV are three different viruses that attack and injure the liver and cause similar symptoms in people with acute (recently acquired) disease.
- HAV is spread by getting HAV-infected fecal matter into a person’s mouth who has never had hepatitis A (e.g., an HAV-infected person who doesn’t wash his or her hands after using the bathroom and then handles food for public consumption or an infected person who has sex with a person who has never had hepatitis A). HBV and HCV are spread when an infected person's blood or blood contaminated body fluids enter another person's bloodstream.
- HBV and HCV infections can cause lifelong (chronic) liver problems. HAV does not.
- There are vaccines that will protect people from HAV infection and HBV infection. Currently, there is no vaccine to protect people from HCV infection.
- There are medications that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of chronic HBV and HCV infections.
- If a person has had one type of viral hepatitis in the past, it is still possible to get the other types.
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