Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is an inflammation of the liver, which is caused by infection with the hepatitis A virus. Worldwide, approximately 1.4 million people contract hepatitis A each year. There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A.

What is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is an inflammation of the liver caused by infection with the hepatitis A virus. The virus destroys the liver cells, but the damage that occurs is usually reversible.

The hepatitis A virus is a resistant virus that can survive high temperatures, freezing, drought and can survive for a long time outside the body (as long as 10 months in water).

Hepatitis A rarely occurs in Norway. Areas with a particularly high incidence of hepatitis A are Africa, South America, the Middle East and large parts of Asia.

Causes of hepatitis A

The hepatitis A virus can be transmitted in several ways:

• From water or food containing the virus.

• Faeces to mouth infection (faecal-oral infection) either in connection with cooking or other person-to-person contact. The spread increases with poor sanitary conditions.

• Sexual contact through oral sex and oral-anal contact.

• Infection can also occur via blood, for example through the use of unclean syringes or needlestick accidents.

Symptoms of hepatitis A

It typically takes 15-20 days from when you are infected until you become ill. The symptoms depend on age, and adults usually get worse than children. Many people who are infected with hepatitis A do not have any symptoms (so-called asymptomatic infection), but you are contagious even if you do not have symptoms. Completed infection with hepatitis A makes you immune for the rest of your life.

In the initial phase, typical symptoms are fatigue/malaise, fever, lack of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weight loss, abdominal pain, diarrhea and joint pain.

After the initial phase, some may develop jaundice (yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes turn yellow). In addition, the faeces will be discolored and the urine dark.

The acute phase of the disease usually lasts up to 3 weeks, but the weakness can last for several months.

Good advice that can prevent hepatitis A when traveling abroad

• Pay attention to hand hygiene!

• Drink only boiled water or bottled water.

• Avoid raw vegetables and fruit that cannot be peeled.

• Avoid shells that are not sufficiently cooked.

• Check if hepatitis A vaccination is recommended at your destination