What hepatitis A is and how it spreads
Hepatitis A is a short-term viral infection of the liver, often called a "dirty hands" disease. The virus leaves the body in stool and reaches another person's mouth through unwashed hands, contaminated water, or food such as raw vegetables and fruit. It can also spread through close contact at home, in kindergartens and through sex. The risk is higher where clean water and sanitation are limited, and when traveling to such places.
Hepatitis A symptoms
Signs usually appear two to four weeks after infection. The illness often starts like a cold or a stomach bug: fatigue, fever, nausea, loss of appetite, sometimes diarrhea and abdominal pain, most often under the right ribs. A few days later urine turns dark, stools turn pale, and the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow.
Children under 6 often have few or no symptoms but can still pass the virus on. Adults tend to be sicker.
Is hepatitis A serious, and can it become chronic?
Unlike hepatitis B, hepatitis A does not become chronic. Most people recover fully and are immune for life. Recovery can still take weeks or even months, and the illness is harder on older adults and people with chronic liver disease. Very rarely it causes acute liver failure, which needs urgent hospital care.
Diagnosis and treatment
Diagnosis is confirmed with a blood test for antibodies to the virus and liver tests. There is no specific antiviral drug. Care is supportive: rest, plenty of fluids, a gentle diet and medical follow-up. Hospital care is needed if the illness is severe or complications are likely. Alcohol and any medicines or supplements taken during the illness should be discussed with a doctor, because some add strain on the liver.
A sick person should stay apart from the household during the contagious period, use their own dishes and towel, and everyone at home should wash hands carefully. People who had close contact with a patient should call a doctor right away: vaccination within two weeks of exposure may help prevent the disease.
Prevention and the hepatitis A vaccine
Prevention starts with washing hands with soap after using the toilet and before eating, safe drinking water, properly cooked food and well-washed produce. The most reliable protection is the vaccine. The inactivated vaccine is usually given in two doses several months apart, with the schedule set by a doctor, and protection lasts for many years. The minimum age is 1 year.
Hepatitis A is not part of Georgia's routine national immunization calendar. The calendar order (No. 01-60/n, version of July 13, 2023) recommends it from age 1 for specific risks: travel to areas where hepatitis A is common, work in water supply, sewage, food service or retail, and hepatitis B or C or chronic liver disease. This vaccination is paid for by the person, the employer or a special program, so it is usually done privately. It is also worth discussing with a doctor if someone in your household falls ill. Clinics use, among others, the Havrix vaccine (pediatric and adult forms). Vaccine prices at clinics in Georgia are listed further down this page.
If you are planning protection against several infections at once, also ask your doctor about hepatitis B. Another intestinal infection that spreads in a similar way is described on the typhoid fever page.
When to see a doctor urgently
- yellow skin or eyes, or dark urine;
- severe weakness, repeated vomiting, or being unable to drink;
- drowsiness, confusion or unusual bleeding;
- close contact with a hepatitis A patient when you or your child are not vaccinated.
