Can hepatitis A cause foodborne illness?

The virus can spread when food or water is contaminated with microscopic traces of infected stool, often through inadequate handwashing. It can also spread through close personal contact. Early illness may resemble other infections, with tiredness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, fever, or diarrhoea.

Some people later develop dark urine, pale stools, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or marked itching. These changes reflect inflammation affecting the liver. Symptoms may appear well after the exposure, so a recent meal is not always the source.

Contact a clinician promptly if you think you were exposed, because preventive advice can depend on when exposure occurred and your vaccination history. Do not prepare food for other people while unwell. Wash hands with soap and water after toilet use and before eating; hand gel is not a substitute in this situation.

Arrange medical assessment for yellow eyes or skin, dark urine, persistent vomiting, worsening abdominal pain, confusion, unusual sleepiness, or inability to drink. Anyone with possible exposure should ask for advice even if symptoms are mild, especially if pregnant, older, very young, or living with liver disease or reduced immunity.

Ask whether testing, vaccination, or post-exposure treatment is appropriate; how to protect household contacts; and which symptoms suggest liver involvement. Mention travel, shared meals, close contacts, and your hepatitis A vaccination history.