What is hepatitis A (HAV)?
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus.
How common is hepatitis A?
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is
estimated there are between 125,000 and 200,000 total infections
per year in the United States. It is estimated that 84,000 to
134,000 of these persons will show symptoms (signs) of HAV. Each
year, approximately 100 people will die because of hepatitis A.
How can I get hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is transmitted (passed) primarily through oral contact
with feces (poop). This could include contaminated (infected)
food or water sources and sexual contact, especially oral-anal
(mouth on anus) sex.
Hepatitis A can easily spread among young children in day care
settings because many are in diapers and cannot wash their own
hands. No one may know they have the disease since children normally
do not show symptoms.
Hepatitis A has, on rare occasions, been passed through blood
transfusion, blood products or sharing needles or other injecting
equipment contaminated with HAV-infected blood. Transmission
by blood is rare.
What are the signs or symptoms of hepatitis
A?
Most adults infected with hepatitis A usually do show some symptoms.
Symptoms may develop 15-50 days after exposure; the average is
28 days. These may include:
- Low-grade
fever
- Malaise
(feeling of ill-health)
- Fatigue
(feeling tired all the time)
- Anorexia
(loss of appetite)
- Nausea
(feeling like vomiting)
- Abdominal
discomfort (stomach pain)
- Dark-colored
urine
- Jaundice
(yellow skin and eyes)
Children under
6 years of age rarely develop symptoms. Some may experience diarrhea.
How
can I find out if I have hepatitis A?
- There are
currently three blood tests available to detect hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A can be detected (found) for up to six months from
the time when symptoms first appear. After that time, the antibodies
that the blood tests look for usually disappear.
- Talk to
your health care provider for more information about hepatitis
A testing.
What
can I do to reduce my risk of getting hepatitis A?
There are
several steps someone could take to reduce the risk of getting
hepatitis A.
VACCINATION:
Hepatitis A is preventable by vaccination. The hepatitis A vaccine
is made from inactive hepatitis A virus particles. There are generally
no side effects, except for soreness where the shot was given
(ie: on the arm). Less than 10% of those who are vaccinated get
tired and nauseous. The vaccine is given in two doses, at least
six months apart.
It is recommended
that the following people be vaccinated against hepatitis A:
- Children between 1 and 2 years of age in the U.S. (NEW recommendation as of October 2005)
- People
who are traveling or working in countries with high rates of
the disease (high numbers of people who get the disease)
- People
who live in communities that have long, drawn-out hepatitis
A outbreaks or in communities that have high rates of hepatitis
A
- Men who
have sex with men
- People
who use street (illegal) drugs
- People
with chronic (long lasting) liver disease
- People
who receive clotting factor concentrates (whose blood does not
clot the way it’s supposed to)
As of October 2005, the CDC recommends that the hepatitis A vaccine become a routine childhood vaccine for U.S. children between 1 and 2 years of age in all states. (Previously the vaccine was only recommended for children in the 17 states with the highest rates of disease; however, about two-thirds of cases are now reported from states in which hepatitis A vaccination of children was not recommended.)
A combination
vaccine called TwinrixÒ is available that protects against both hepatitis A and hepatitis B
in persons 18 and older. It reduces the total number of injections
(shots) for both vaccines from five to three.
Always check
with your health care provider for information about the hepatitis A vaccine.
IMMUNE GLOBULIN (IG) AFTER EXPOSURE TO HAV: People who
have come in contact with hepatitis A should talk with their health
care provider about a kind of shot called post-exposure immune
globulin (IG). Immune globulins (IG) are sterile (germ-free) solutions
of antibodies made from human plasma (blood).
- A dose
of IG, if given within 14 days after contact with the virus,
can prevent sickness from occurring.
SEXUAL
PREVENTION:
- Abstinence
(not having sex)
- Mutual
monogamy (two uninfected partners having sex with only each
other)
- Cut-up,
non-lubricated latex condoms and other moisture barriers, such
as household plastic wrap or dental dams (square pieces of latex)
can reduce the risk of transmitting (passing) hepatitis A during
oral-anal sex.
NON-SEXUAL
PREVENTION:
- Avoid contaminated
(infected) food or water sources
- Avoid sharing
drug needles and other drug-injection equipment.
- Practicing
good personal hygiene, especially hand-washing after using the
toilet or changing diapers
- To kill
hepatitis A, heat foods at temperatures above 185 degrees Fahrenheit
for 1 minute or disinfect surfaces with household bleach mixed
with tap water (1 part bleach for 100 parts of water)
What
is the treatment for hepatitis A?
There is no cure for hepatitis A. Most people with severe infection
will experience short-term illness and then recover completely.
They are often told to rest for one to four weeks and to avoid
intimate contact with others. Some doctors recommend a high-protein,
low-fat diet during recovery and avoidance of alcohol, sedatives,
or strong painkillers, such as narcotics. Once recovered, an individual
is immune (protected) and will not get hepatitis A again.
Why worry about hepatitis A?
Fortunately, complications from hepatitis A are rare. It is not
known to cause chronic (long lasting) infections. However, it
can make some people very sick, and it is easily preventable.
Do I need to talk to my partner about
hepatitis A?
If you have tested positive for hepatitis A, you may want to talk
to your sex partner(s). Remember, hepatitis A can be passed through
oral-anal (mouth on anus) sex. Deciding to use latex condoms
and moisture barriers (dental dams) during sex helps reduce the
risk of transmitting a sexually transmitted disease.
Should
I talk to my health care provider about hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A can be prevented with a vaccine (shot). It is
recommended that you talk to your health care provider about whether
you should be vaccinated.
Where can I get more information?
If you have additional questions about hepatitis A, call the
CDC’s National STD
and AIDS Hotlines at 800-342-2437
or 800-227-8922. The hotlines are open 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. For information in Spanish call 800-344-7432, 8:00 a.m.
to 2:00 a.m. Eastern Time, seven days a week. For the Deaf and
Hard-of-Hearing call 800-243-7889, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern
Time, Monday through Friday. The hotlines provide referrals and
more answers to your questions.
For more information
about the hepatitis A vaccine, call the National Immunization Information Hotline
at 800-232-2522 or 800-232-0233 for information in Spanish. The
hotline is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00
p.m., Eastern Time. For the Deaf and Hard-of Hearing Call 800-243-7889,
10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday.
Other Resources
CDC’s
Division of Viral Hepatitis
CDC’s
National
Immunization Program
Hepatitis Foundation International
American Liver Foundation
Immunization
Action Coalition (IAC)
Parents
of Kids with Infectious Diseases (PKID)
