Category FAQs Search : Health
Question: How to prevent Hepatitis A?
Answer: Improved sanitation, food safety and immunization are the most effective ways to combat hepatitis A.
The spread of hepatitis A can be reduced by:
adequate supplies of safe drinking water;
proper disposal of sewage within communities; and
personal hygiene practices such as regular hand-washing before meals and after going to the bathroom.
Several injectable inactivated hepatitis A vaccines are available internationally. All are similar in terms of how well they protect people from the virus and their side-effects. No vaccine is licensed for children younger than 1 year of age. In China, a live oral vaccine is also available.
Nearly 100% of people develop protective levels of antibodies to the virus within 1 month after injection of a single dose of vaccine. Even after exposure to the virus, a single dose of the vaccine within 2 weeks of contact with the virus has protective effects. Still, manufacturers recommend 2 vaccine doses to ensure a longer-term protection of about 5 to 8 years after vaccination.
Millions of people have received injectable inactivated hepatitis A vaccine worldwide with no serious adverse events. The vaccine can be given as part of regular childhood immunizations programmes and also with other vaccines for travellers.
(Source: World Health Organization (WHO), 20 Feb 2020)
Source Link: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-a