Hepatitis A - Causes of hepatitis A

Most cases of hepatitis A are thought to occur when a person is travelling in parts of the world that:

• have high levels of poverty
• are overcrowded
• have limited access to sanitation and clean water 

The most common cause of hepatitis A is eating food contaminated by the stools of an infected person as a result of poor personal hygiene.

For example, you may get hepatitis A if you eat food prepared by an infected person who has not washed their hands properly.

It is also possible to become infected with hepatitis A by drinking contaminated water. This includes using ice cubes made from contaminated water and eating raw fruit or vegetables washed in contaminated water.

Also, shellfish can be infected if harvested from sea contaminated with sewage.

Hepatitis A in England

Although it is much less common, it is still possible to catch hepatitis A in England.

Known risk factors include:

• being a man who has sex with other men – read more about issues related to gay health
• regularly injecting illegal drugs
• working with or near sewage – untreated sewage is often contaminated by hepatitis A
• working in institutions where levels of personal hygiene may be poor, such as a homeless shelter
• living or working in closed environments, such as student halls, boarding schools and army barracks
• working with primates (monkeys, apes, baboons, chimps, gorillas), as these can also be infected with hepatitis A
• having haemophilia – people with this blood clotting disorder often require a type of medication called a clotting agent derived from human blood, which can sometimes become infected with the hepatitis A virus

If you are in one of the above groups, it is usually recommended you receive the hepatitis A vaccine.