Hepatitis A

What is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver. It is estimated to affect up to 10 million people worldwide each year and is spread through contaminated food and water.

The virus is found in the faeces of an infected person and is spread through poor hygiene, such as failing to wash your hands after going to the toilet.

What are the symptoms?

The incubation period before symptoms develop is usually a month.

Symptoms can vary from no signs of illness, to a flu-like illness, jaundice, headache, fever, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting.

Children getting the disease will seldom become ill and once infected will carry a life-long immunity against the disease.

The older a person is, the more serious the disease can be. About one per cent of people with Hepatitis A will suffer from liver failure and some of these people will die.

Where am I most at risk?

The area where travellers are most at risk of contracting Hepatitis A is the Indian sub-continent, although there are also some cases from South-East Asia, Africa and South America.

How can I protect myself?

There is a highly effective vaccine against Hepatitis A, which is available from GP surgeries and travel clinics. This is recommended for travellers going to high-risk countries.

Travellers should try and avoid the disease by ensuring a high level of personal hygiene, avoiding raw or inadequately cooked salads, vegetables, unpasteurised milk and shellfish and checking whether the tap water is safe to drink.