Hepatitis A in Healthcare Settings

Prevention & Control of Hepatitis A in Healthcare Settings

Healthcare-Associated Hepatitis A occurs infrequently, and transmission to personnel usually occurs when the source patient has unrecognized hepatitis and is fecally incontinent or has diarrhea. Other risk factors for hepatitis A virus (HAV) transmission to personnel include activities that increase the risk of fecal-oral contamination such as (a) eating or drinking in patient care areas, (b) not washing hands after handling an infected infant, and (c) sharing food, beverages, or cigarettes with patients, their families, or other staff members.

Guidelines

These resources may be of use to healthcare professionals:

• Prevention by Immunization. MMWR 1999 (PDF)
• Hepatitis A Excerpts from: Infection Control in Healthcare Personnel, 1998

Infection Control Topics

• Infection Control Home
• Healthcare-Associated Infections
• Protecting Patients
• Protecting Healthcare Workers
• Infection Control Guidelines
• Infection Control A-Z
• About DHQP