Hepatitis A is an acute viral infection of the liver. It is found in feces and is acquired primarily by person-to person contact, including:

• Eating contaminated food prepared by an infected person;
• Close, intimate or household contact with an infected person;
• Eating contaminated shellfish;
• Drinking contaminated water;
• Sharing illicit drugs; and
• Men having sex with men.

Hepatitis A is common with about 90,000 people in the United States developing symptoms from this disease every year. The only specific treatment is rest and proper diet. Most people recover completely within a few weeks.

Careful hand washing is important, particularly after changing diapers, using the bathroom and before preparing or eating food. Casual contact, as usually occurs in office, school, and recreational settings, does not spread the virus.

After a person is infected with Hepatitis A, symptoms may develop within 15-55 days, with an average of 25-30 days. People with this disease may experience the following:

• No symptoms (this is very common in children less than six years old);
• Tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fever;
• Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice);
• Tea-colored urine; and
• Light or clay-colored bowel movements.