is a liver disease caused by a specific virus. The disease is fairly common; more than 1,000 cases are reported in New York State each year.
Anyone can get hepatitis A, but it occurs more frequently in children.
The hepatitis A virus enters through the mouth, multiplies in the body and is passed in the feces. The virus can then be carried on an infected personšs hands and can be spread by direct contact, or by consuming food or drink that has been handled by the individual. In some cases, it can be spread by consuming water contaminated with improperly treated sewage.
The symptoms of hepatitis A may include fatigue, poor appetite, fever and vomiting. Urine may become darker in color, and then jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes) may appear. The disease is rarely fatal and most people recover in a few weeks without any complications. Infants and young children tend to have very mild symptoms and are less likely to develop jaundice than are older children and adults. Not everyone who is infected will have all of the symptoms.
The symptoms may appear two to six weeks after exposure, but usually within three to four weeks.
The contagious period begins about a week or so before the symptoms appear, and extends up to the time of jaundice.
Once an individual recovers from hepatitis A, he or she is immune for life and does not continue to carry the virus.
There are no special medicines or antibiotics that can be used to treat a person once the symptoms appear. Generally, bed rest is all that is needed.
To prevent person-to-person spread, careful hand washing after visiting the toilet is the single most important means of prevention. For close contacts of a case, immune globulin shots are recommended to minimize the risk of disease. For long term protection, a new hepatitis A vaccine became available in 1995.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends hepatitis A vaccine for:
Updated: April 1996
Source: NY State Department of Health