Hepatitis A
So you may be wondering what this infection is, how do people get it, and can you prevent it?
Essentially, hepatitis A is a temporary liver infection that most people recover from on their own. Usually, there’s no long term damage. To recover from hepatitis A, health professionals recommend you drink plenty of water and eat balanced meals.
Usually, people get the virus through oral contact with feces that contains the virus. This happens for the most part between housemates and in restaurants when people are infected, but don’t wash their hands. If contaminated feces gets into the food or water supply, it can infect anyone who eats or drinks it. It is rarer for hepatitis A to spread between sex partners or contact with the blood of an infected person, but it is possible.
Common symptoms of hepatitis A include:
* extreme tiredness
* fever
* sore muscles
* headache
* pain on the right side of the abdomen (where the liver is)
* nausea
* loss of appetite
* weight loss
* and/or jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and the white part of the eyes)
Symptoms will usually appear between two and seven weeks after infection and they usually last less than two months. Persons who are infected can still spread hepatitis A even if they do not show symptoms.
So how can you protect yourself? Get vaccinated. The vaccines available for hepatitis A are usually 100% effective if you receive both shots before you’re exposed to it. There are two shots and they’re given six months apart. If you feel you may have been exposed to hepatitis A, see your healthcare provider to be tested and to receive prophylaxis against it.