![]() Persons with chronic liver disease (including persons with chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C virus infection).Persons with clotting-factor disorders (e.g., hemophilia).Travelers to areas with increased rates of hepatitis A. ![]() Hepatitis A vaccine is recommended for the following persons: Who should obtain the hepatitis A vaccine? Under certain circumstances, particularly when recommended food safety procedures are not followed by food workers, public health officials may recommend that restaurant patrons receive immune globulin.įor long-term protection, hepatitis A vaccine is the best method of prevention. Immune globulin may be recommended for co-workers of infected food workers. Immune globulin shots are effective in preventing the spread of hepatitis A if given within 14 days of exposure. Food workers should never work while they are sick with stomach (gastrointestinal) illnesses. ![]() To prevent the spread of hepatitis A from an infected food worker to co-workers and/or restaurant patrons, food workers should never touch ready-to-eat foods with bare hands, and should carefully wash their hands after using the bathroom, even if the food worker does not feel sick. To prevent person-to-person spread, careful hand washing after using the bathroom, changing diapers and before preparing or eating food, is the single most important means of prevention.įoodborne hepatitis A outbreaks are relatively uncommon in the United States however, when they occur, intensive public health efforts are required for their control. There are no special medicines or antibiotics that can be used to treat a person once the symptoms appear. He or she is immune for life and does not continue to carry the virus. Once an individual recovers from hepatitis A, he or she cannot be re-infected. Does past infection with hepatitis A make a person immune? If jaundiced, food workers should not return to work for at least one week after onset of jaundice. Food workers should be excluded from work for at least two weeks after the onset of clinical symptoms of hepatitis A. The contagious period begins one to two weeks before symptoms appear, and is minimal about one week after the onset of jaundice. For how long is an infected person able to spread the virus? The symptoms commonly appear within 28 days of exposure, with a range of 15-50 days. Not everyone who is infected will have all of the symptoms. Infants and young children tend to have very mild symptoms and are less likely to develop jaundice than are older children and adults. Adults have signs and symptoms of illness more often than children. The disease is rarely fatal and most people recover in a few weeks without any complications. The symptoms of hepatitis A may include an abrupt onset of fever, malaise, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach pain, dark-colored urine and jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes). Casual contact, as in the office, factory or school setting, does not spread the virus. Waterborne outbreaks are infrequent and are usually associated with sewage-contaminated or inadequately treated water. Most infections in the United States result from contact with a household member or sex partner who has hepatitis A.Hepatitis A virus may also be spread by consuming food or drink that has been handled by an infected person. ![]() For this reason, the virus is more easily spread in areas where there are poor sanitary conditions or where good personal hygiene is not observed. This type of transmission is called the "fecal-oral" route. Hepatitis A virus is usually spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person with hepatitis A. ![]() Persons traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common (i.e., Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Western Pacific).Children and adults living in areas with increased rates of hepatitis (i.e., certain Western states in the U.S.).Who gets hepatitis A?Īnyone can get hepatitis A, but certain persons are at increased risk of infection, including: It is the most common type of hepatitis reported in the United States. Hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that attacks the liver. Hepatitis A and Food Service Workers (infectious hepatitis) All Health Care Professionals & Patient Safety.Clinical Guidelines, Standards & Quality of Care.Health & Safety in the Home, Workplace & Outdoors.Birth, Death, Marriage & Divorce Records. ![]()
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