Hepatitis A is one of the many viruses that cause an infection of the liver. It
is transmitted via the fecal-oral route which occurs when food or water
contaminated by human waste is ingested or during oral-anal sexual contact. The
incubation period is from 15 to 49 days. The symptoms of this disease include
fatigue, malaise, vomiting, loss of appetite, fever and abdominal pain followed
by jaundice. A more serious form of the disease called fulminant hepatitis,
which may be accompanied by death, occurs very rarely and is more common in
those individuals with pre-existing liver disease. Commonly a person will feel
sick for several weeks. Once recovered, the person is fine and does not become
a carrier of the disease.
The Department of Public Health provides the vaccine free to those individuals who are part of risk groups, including men who have sex with men, people with pre-existing liver disease, and students working with non-human primates. Consult a nurse to find out if you are part of a group at risk.
Since the disease is very common in developing countries it is strongly recommended that everyone traveling to these countries be immunized prior to departing. In this case the vaccine is not paid for by the Public Health Department, but it is available at Student Health at a reduced cost. The vaccine exists as a single vaccine or as a combination with the hepatitis B vaccine. So if you haven’t been vaccinated for the latter then why not take advantage of the combined vaccine and get two shots in one!
The Department of Public Health provides the vaccine free to those individuals who are part of risk groups, including men who have sex with men, people with pre-existing liver disease, and students working with non-human primates. Consult a nurse to find out if you are part of a group at risk.
Since the disease is very common in developing countries it is strongly recommended that everyone traveling to these countries be immunized prior to departing. In this case the vaccine is not paid for by the Public Health Department, but it is available at Student Health at a reduced cost. The vaccine exists as a single vaccine or as a combination with the hepatitis B vaccine. So if you haven’t been vaccinated for the latter then why not take advantage of the combined vaccine and get two shots in one!
If you have been exposed to a person infected with Hepatitis A then you should come to Student Health to be given appropriate prophylaxis.