What is hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is an acute infectious disease of the liver caused by hepatitis A virus, an RNA virus.  People contract the disease mainly by eating food or drinking water contaminated with stool from an infected person.  Because of this, the disease can be considered a food-borne illness.

What are the foods that can carry the hepatitis A virus?

The foods that are commonly associated with hepatitis A outbreaks include shellfish harvested from contaminated waters, raw produce, uncooked foods and cooked foods touched by an infected food handler, but not reheated prior to consumption.  Contaminated water can be another source of this virus.

How long can it take for a person to experience symptoms after infected with hepatitis A virus.

The incubation person is on average 28 days ranging from 15 to 50 days.

What are the symptoms of hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A symptoms include diarrhea, dark urine, jaundice, and flu-like symptoms including fever, headache, nausea, and stomach pain.

How long could hepatitis A last?

Compared with other types of hepatitis, hepatitis A is a mild liver disease that can last anywhere between two weeks and three months.

What should I do after I contract hepatitis A?

The U.S. government advises that you should seek medical attention if you experience signs or symptoms of hepatitis A or think you may have contacted the disease.  Tests can accurately determine whether you've been infected.

But be advised that there is no specific treatment for hepatitis A.  What patients should do is rest well, avoid fatty foods and alcohol, eat a nutritionally balanced diet and stay hydrated.

What is the prognosis of hepatitis A?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mortality rate of hepatitis A is 4 deaths per 100 cases for the general population and in a population of adults aged 50 and over, the rate is 17.5 deaths per 1000 cases.  The mortality rate is considered low.

However, hepatitis A may be a threat to people with underlying chronic liver disease  in which case, the patients may be at risk of death from acute liver failure.   Children infected with hepatitis A typically experience only some mild symptoms and the illness will be gone in a matter of three weeks while adults can experience a much more severe form of the disease which can last for a longer period.

By editors of foodconsumer.org