Hepatitis A (topic1)

Hepatitis A, also known as the infectious hepatitis, is an infectious disease of the liver. It is transmitted commonly by contaminated food or water. In a year, about a ten million people in the whole world are infected with the virus. The time between infection and the appearance of the symptoms, which is called the incubation period, is between two and six weeks and the average incubation period is 28 days.

In developing countries, and in regions with poor hygiene standards, the incidence of infection with this virus is high and the illness is mostly contracted in early childhood. The Hepatitis A virus has also been found in taken to study ocean water quality. Hepatitis A infection causes no symptoms in over 90% of these children .

Hepatitis A doesn’t have a chronic stage and will not cause permanent liver damage. After the infection, the white blood cell called a B cell makes antibodies against the hepatitis A virus fight against future infection. The disease can be prevented by vaccination and hepatitis A vaccine has been proved effective in controlling outbreaks worldwide.




Prevention

Hepatitis A can be prevented by using vaccination and good hygiene. Hepatitis A is also one of the main reasons not to surf or go in the ocean after rains in coastal areas that are known to have bad runoff.


Vaccine

The vaccine protects against the virus in more than 90% of cases for about 10 years. The vaccine contains an inactivated Hepatitis A virus providing active immunity against a future infection. The vaccine was first put into place in 1996 for children in high-risk areas, and in 1999 it was given to areas with increasing levels of infection.

The vaccine is given in two doses in the muscle of the upper arm. The first dose provides protection two to four weeks after initial vaccination; the second booster dose, given six to twelve months later, provides protection for up to twenty years.


Symptoms

Early symptoms of hepatitis A are sometimes mistaken for influenza, but some sufferers, mostly children, show no symptoms at all! Symptoms typically appear 2 to 6 weeks, (the incubation period ), after the initial infection.

Symptoms can return over the following 6-9 months which include:

(1) Fatigue
(2) Fever
(3) Abdominal pain
(4) Nausea
(5) Diarrhea
(6) Appetite loss
(7) Depression
(8) Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes
(9) Sharp pains in the right-upper quadrant of the abdomen
(10) Weight loss
(11) Itching

References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hepatitis_A