TRAVELDOC BLOG
Connect With Us
Hepatitis A
KEY POINTS
- Hepatitis A is the most commonly indicated vaccine for travel to developing countries, where there may be unsafe food and water due to poor sanitation.
- Although children usually have almost uneventful, mild illness with hepatitis A infection, adults may suffer a serious, prolonged course.
- Almost everyone who has lived in a developing country without prior vaccination will have acquired hepatitis A virus, and so will have lifelong, natural immunity. This can be verified with a blood test for hepatitis A IgG antibody, making the need for the vaccine unnecessary.
Disease: Hepatitis A virus inflames the liver, causing generalized misery for weeks in adults, but usually minor or unnoticeable clinical illness in young people.
Common Symptoms,
Flu-like illness (without the respiratory symptoms):
- Fever
- Poor appetite
- Muscle/Joint Aches
- Abdominal Pain
- Jaundice (yellow eyes/skin/urine)
Incubation: from exposure to illness = 15-50 days (avg = 4 weeks)
Illness duration = 1-2 months
Only 3-6/1000 cases are fatal.
Hepatitis A virus does not cause permanent liver damage.
Distribution:
- Worldwide, but most prevalent in developing countries.
- Risk increases with extended and rural travel.
Transmission:
- Person-to-person through fecal-oral route
So, hepatitis A virus is easily passed through household contacts and public exposure to fecally contaminated food and water, most commonly ice, unpeeled fruits/vegetables, and raw/undercooked shellfish.
Hepatitis A virus Treatment: None
Prevention:
- Chlorinate water.
- Boil water or cook over 185°F for 1 minute.
- Strict water and food restriction during travel
- Avoid uncooked food, salads, puddings, watermelon.
- Only canned or bottled drinks
- Fruits and vegetables you peel yourself
- Use only ice cubes from purified water.
- Only well-cooked meat and seafood
- Hepatitis A virus Vaccine
- Optimally at least 1 month pre-travel
- 2 doses, 6-12 months apart
- Lifelong immunity likely
- Vaccine Targets
- Travelers to underdeveloped countries
- Homosexuals
- Illicit drug users
- Chronic liver disease patients
- Households adopting children from countries with prevalent hepatitis A virus
- Patients who receive blood clotting factor concentrates (hemophiliacs)
- Children ≥ 1 year old
- Vaccine Cautions
- Those with life-threatening reactions to components of some hepatitis A virus vaccine brands: alum, 2-phenoxyethanol
- Delay vaccination if moderately ill until recovered.
- Side-Effects: Uncommon and last 1-2 days,
- Injection site soreness
- Headache
- Poor appetite
- Fatigue
- Safety in pregnancy has not been proven, but, as a killed vaccine, it is unlikely a risk to a fetus.
How do I schedule an appointment?
Online: Schedule an Appointment.
Call Us: (713) 550-2000 A customer service representative will help you choose an appointment time, and can forward any documents you will need to complete.