Physical signs
Tests and treatments
Pregnancy and vaccinations
Babies
Breastfeeding
Hepatitis A virus (HAV or 'hep A') is the most common type of hepatitis worldwide, being most prevalent in developing countries. Hepatitis A was first identified in human faeces in 1973 and later identified in blood tests. Hepatitis A is a notifiable disease within Australia and is reported by health professionals to the Department of Health's National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). These reports do not contain information that identifies an individual person. In the year 2000 there were 812 cases of hepatitis A reported in Australia. The rates of hepatitis A infections have dropped from 16.4 per 100,000 (0.0164%) in 1997 to 2.8 per 100,000 (0.0028%) in 2001.
The hepatitis A virus is transmitted by coming into contact with:
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Water contaminated with infected faeces (or bowel motions). |
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Food, drinks, eating utensils and cigarettes handled by an infected person. |
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Touching nappies, linen or towels soiled with the faeces of an infected person. |
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Eating oysters and shellfish contaminated with sewerage. |
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Anal or oral sex with an infected person. |
Physical signs
The 'incubation period' of hepatitis A, or the time it takes between coming in contact with the virus and showing physical signs of illness, varies between 2 and 7 weeks, with an average of 4 weeks. The physical signs of hepatitis A can include: