Hepatitis A (formerly known as infectious hepatitis) is an acute infectious disease of the

liver caused by the hepatovirus hepatitis A virus.

[1]
Most commonly transmitted by the
fecal-oral route, such as contaminated food, hepatitis does not typically have a chronic
sta!e and does not cause permanent liver dama!e. "he patient#s immune system makes
antibodies a!ainst the hepatitis virus that confer immunity a!ainst future infection.
vaccine is available that will prevent infection from hepatitis for at least ten years.[$]
Virus
%epatitis virus (%&) is a non-enveloped ss'( virus with a sin!le serovar.
[1]
Symptoms
)ymptoms of hepatitis are often minor, and may be mistaken for a flu. )ome sufferers,
especially children, may e*hibit no symptoms at all. )ymptoms typically appear $ to +
weeks after start of infection.
[$]
)ymptoms may include
[,]
-
.ati!ue
.ever
bdominal pain
(ausea
/iarrhea
ppetite loss
0aundice, a yellowin! of the skin or whites of the
eyes.
Treatment
"here is no specific treatment for hepatitis . )ufferers are advised to rest, avoid fatty
foods and alcohol (these may be poorly tolerated for some additional months durin! the
recovery phase and cause minor relapses), eat a well-balanced diet, and stay hydrated.
ppro*imately 112 of people dia!nosed with hepatitis may e*perience one or more
symptomatic relapse(s) for nine months to a year after contractin! this disease.
Prognosis
"he 3nited )tates 4enters for /isease 4ontrol and 5revention (4/4) in 1661 reported a
low mortality rate of 7 deaths per 1888 cases for the !eneral population but a hi!her rate
of 19.1 per 1888 in those a!ed 18 and over.
:oun! children who are infected hepatitis typically have a milder form of the disease,
usually lastin! from 1-, weeks, whereas adults tend to e*perience a much more severe
form of the disease. "hey are often confined to bed and minimal activity for about 7
weeks and have to stop their work for one to three months or lon!er. Many adults take up
to +-1$ months and occasionally lon!er to recover entirely. )ymptoms that may be
e*perienced after the first month or two are low immunity- ;t is much easier to catch
minor infections and for these infections to lin!er lon!er than they normally would. Many
people e*perience a slow but sure improvement, over this later period. "hey are !enerally
able to function fairly normally, still needin! more sleep and reduced athletic activity. ;t
is common for recoverin! patients to e*perience occasional <off< days, durin! which they
need to rest more. %epatitis can be se*ually transmitted, especially durin! oral-anal
contact, but not after the patient has recovered.
Prevention
%epatitis can be prevented by !ood hy!iene and sanitation. &accination is also
available, and is reconmended in areas where the prevalence of hepatitis is hi!h. "o
prevent it, use your own towels and toothbrushes, eatin! utensils, and other personal
products. lways wash your hands after and before eatin! and more importantly after
usin! the toilet.
Vaccine
Main article Hepatitis A vaccine
"he %epatitis vaccine, va*im, protects a!ainst the virus in more than 612 of cases
and provides protection from the virus for ten years. "he vaccine contains inactivated
%epatitis virus providin! active immunity a!ainst a future infection.
[7]
Epidemiology
%epatitis outbreaks still occur in developed countries and are usually traced to poor
hand hy!iene amon! restaurant employees--who are themselves ill with hepatitis --
failin! to wash their hands after toilet breaks. "he most widespread hepatitis outbreak
in merican history afflicted at least +78 people (killin! four) in north-eastern =hio and
south-western 5ennsylvania in late $88,. ;n (ovember of that year, the outbreak was
blamed on tainted !reen onions at a restaurant in Monaca, 5ennsylvania.
;n 0anuary of $889, a possible outbreak was reported. %oulihan>s 'estaurant in ?eneva,
;llinois had an employee that was dia!nosed with hepatitis .
[1]
ny customers that ate
and@or drank cold drinks from 0anuary A, $889 - 0anuary 1$, $889 were at risk of
e*posure to the virus. free clinic was set up to !ive immuno!lobulin inBections, which
were very e*pensive. "he viral symptoms can take 11-18 days to show-up. ny treatment
or prevention inBection should be !iven within 17 days of possible e*posure, if taken after
that time the treatment is ineffective.
=n May 7, $889, there was a confirmed case of %epatitis in )layton, Minnesota, where
two employees of the 5iCCa 'anch were confirmed to have the disease, and one patron
confirmed, thou!h more confirmed cases are e*pected as the !estation period before there
are any symptoms can be up to 18 days. [,]
Current event
;n .ebruary $889, a hi!h profile celebrity party by )ports ;llustrated for its annual
swimsuit issue turned into a health scare for stars in %ollywood after a caterer workin!
for celebrity chef Dolf!an! 5uck was reported to have likely e*posed them to acute
hepatitis . "he Eos n!eles 4ounty %ealth /epartment recommended to !et treatment
immediately, while 4arl )huster, 5resident of Dolf!an! 5uck 4aterin!, said the infected
caterer was placed on medical leave and the company has <applied e*ceptional
procedures< to disinfect the kitchens and food processin! areas from hepatitis
contamination.[7]
;n March $889, Fn!lish actor and statesman, 0ohn ;nman died from complications due to
hepatitis
;n May $889 the Dildwood ?rill and Grewin! 4o. at $719, 7th )treet ).D. in 4al!ary,
lberta was the focus of media attention after it was confirmed that a food handler in the
restaurant#s kitchen was infected with the hepatatis virus. 'eports indicated that
hundreds of patrons who ate at the establishment between pril ,8 to May 1, may have
been infected with the virus. [1]
;n 0une $889 an =#4harley#s restaurant in Ee*in!ton, H: reported that a staff member
was infected with the virus and may have spread the disease to patrons. "hree infections
were confirmed, althou!h the infections were due to contact with the employee outside of
work. [+]