Contact precautions for hepatitis A

Hepatitis A spreads when microscopic traces of stool from an infected person reach another person's mouth. This can happen through unwashed hands, contaminated food or water, shared bathroom touchpoints, or close personal contact. The virus is not usually spread by simply sharing air. Because a person may be infectious before symptoms are recognised, hygiene matters when exposure is suspected as well as after diagnosis.

Symptoms may include feeling generally unwell, nausea, appetite loss, dark urine, abdominal discomfort, or yellowing. These signs need medical assessment rather than assumptions about who is infectious.

Wash hands with soap and water after using the toilet, after changing nappies, and before eating or preparing food. Clean toilet handles, taps, flush controls, and other frequently touched bathroom surfaces. Do not prepare meals for other people while unwell or until a clinician gives you a return-to-food-preparation plan. Keep towels personal, dispose of nappies carefully, and tell close contacts about the possible exposure. Ask whether Hepatitis A Vaccination is suitable for exposed household members.

Contact a clinician promptly after close exposure, since preventive advice may depend on timing and personal health. Seek urgent care for confusion, severe drowsiness, repeated vomiting, inability to drink, severe abdominal pain, bleeding, or rapidly worsening yellow skin or eyes. Do not wait for jaundice if a vulnerable person has a significant exposure.

Ask how long precautions should continue, whether testing is needed, when food preparation can restart, which contacts need advice, how to clean safely, and whether vaccination or a Liver Function Test is appropriate.