Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus that's spread in the faeces of an infected person. It's uncommon in the UK, but certain groups are at increased risk. This includes travellers to parts of the world with poor levels of sanitation, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs. Hepatitis A can be unpleasant, but it's not usually serious and most people make a full recovery within a couple of months. Some people, particularly young children, may not have any symptoms. But hepatitis A can occasionally last for many months and, in rare cases, it can be life-threatening if it causes the liver to stop working properly (liver failure).
A vaccine is available for people at a high risk of infection.
Vaccine
The vaccination against Hepatitis A consists of a primary course of a single injection. This would protect you for around a year. If you require longer term protection, a booster vaccination can be offered between six and twelve months after the initial vaccination. This would give protection for around 25 years.
How you can get hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is most widespread in parts of the world where standards of sanitation and food hygiene are generally poor, such as parts of Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Far East, the Middle East, and Central and South America.
You can get the infection from:
- eating food prepared by someone with the infection who hasn't washed their hands properly or washed them in water contaminated with sewage
- drinking contaminated water (including ice cubes)
- eating raw or undercooked shellfish from contaminated water
- close contact with someone who has hepatitis A
- less commonly, having sex with someone who has the infection (this is particularly a risk for men who have sex with men) or injecting drugs using contaminated equipment