Hepatitis A
Alternate Names : Hepatovirus Infection
What can be done to prevent the infection?
To prevent the infection, a person should:
eat only properly prepared food and drink clean water
wash hands well after using the toilet or diapering a child
have an injection of serum immunoglobulin if exposed to the
virus
have the hepatitis A vaccine if he or she is in a high-risk group. The
vaccine is usually given in 2 injections that are 6 to 12 months apart. Both
immunoglobulin and hepatitis A vaccine can safely be given together.
Anyone exposed to hepatitis A is immune for life.
What are the long-term effects of the infection?
For most people, hepatitis A clears up and there are no long-term problems.
Rarely, there are long-term problems such as:
acute fulminant liver failure, a serious complication that can be lethal
or can require a liver
transplant
aplastic
anemia, which is a
bone marrow failure problem. It results in low blood cells including red
cells, platelets, and white blood cells.
What are the risks to others?
Anyone who comes into contact with a person with hepatitis A is at risk for the
disease. It is most important that no one is exposed to the stool or urine of
the infected person. Other bodily secretions are not likely to cause an
infection.
Finding the source and preventing additional exposure to
that source also is very important. People with active hepatitis A need to wash
their hands well after using the toilet. Infected people may need to take 1 to
4 weeks of time off from work. They also may need to report to their local health
department.
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