Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a contagious viral disease that causes inflammation of the liver, usually spreading through contaminated food or water.

• What “hepatitis” means: “Hepat” relates to the liver and “-itis” means inflammation. So hepatitis is inflammation of the liver.
• How it spreads (faecal–oral route): The virus can pass from an infected person’s stool to another person’s mouth through unwashed hands, unsafe water, or food handled in unhygienic conditions.
• Why the liver matters: The liver helps in digesting food (by making bile), storing energy, and removing harmful substances from the blood. When it is inflamed, these jobs get disturbed.
• Common signs: Fever, tiredness, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes/skin and often dark urine) can happen because the liver is not working normally.
• Prevention: Drinking safe/boiled water, eating freshly cooked food, washing hands with soap (especially after using the toilet and before eating), and getting the Hepatitis A vaccine greatly reduce the risk.
• A useful point to remember: Hepatitis A usually does not become a long-term (chronic) infection like some other hepatitis viruses can, and many people recover fully with rest and proper care.