Hepatitis AStephanie Garcia

Monday, March 3rd, 2014AM Medical Assisting

What is Hepatitis A?Contagious liver disease that results from infection with the Hepatitis A virus

Least serious & mildest from other Hepatitis types but durations can range

Low risk of death but can become fatal for the elderly and people with chronic liver disease

SymptomsAbout 90% of children < 6 years old

usually have NO symptomsOlder children & adults, symptoms may

include the following: Fever, fatigue Loss of appetite Nausea, vomiting Abdominal pain Joint pain Dark urine Jaundice

People may feel sick up to 2 - 6 weeks after they actually get the hepatitis A virus.

How common?Still occurs in the United States, but not as

frequently & high as it once did Over last 20 years, there has been more than

a about 90% decrease in Hepatitis A casesNew cases are now estimated to be around

20,000 each yearMany experts believe this decline is actually a

result of the vaccination for this diseaseApproximately 20% of people with symptoms

need to be hospitalized, & 3 – 5 people out of every 1,000 cases die from disease

How is this virus spread?Usually spread when a person ingests (usually poor unsanitary conditions) oral-fecal matter—even in microscopic amounts

You eat/drink food/water that has been contaminated by stools (feces) containing the Hep A virus. Fruits, vegetables, shellfish, ice, & water: common sources of the disease

A person with hepatitis A passes virus to an object/food due to poor hand-washing after using the bathroom, caregiving, etc

You come in contact with the stool/blood of a person who currently has the disease

Someone engages in certain sexual activities

Hepatitis VaccinePrevents hepatitis A diseaseMade from killed (inactivated) virusGiven in two doses, at least 6 months apart

Children should get the vaccine at 12 through 23 months of age

Who should get vaccinated against Hepatitis A?

Vaccination recommended to certain groups included: All children at age 1 year Overseas travel, especially to Asia or

South or Central America Working in a health care, food, or sewage

industry Living in a nursing home center Users of recreational drugs, whether

injected or not People with chronic or long-term liver

disease, including Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C

People with clotting-factor disorders

Referenceshttp

://acelebrationofwomen.org/2013/05/the-alphabet-soup-of-hepatitis/

http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/A/PDFs/HepAGeneralFactSheet.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/hepa/fs-parents.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001323/#adam_000278.disease.prevention