Hepatitis A Vaccine

Hepatitis A Vaccine Every year hepatitis A virus affects 1.4 million people around the world and as many as 32,000 in the United States. This figure is very unfortunate because the risk of virus goes down substantially by just having access to clean water and regular hand washing. In addition, vaccine for hepatitis A is also available to stop the infection from ever happening in an individual. In short, the disease should not affect so many people worldwide because it can be prevented so easily.

What Is Hepatitis A Vaccine?


The vaccine used to stop hepatitis A virus from happening is called hepatitis A Vaccine. The vaccine is produced by using whole hepatitis A virus which is killed. Since the virus is not alive, a person cannot have hepatitis A from the vaccine. The vaccination works by helping the body in producing antibodies to fight the hepatitis A virus. These antibodies will help the body to fight off the virus in the future.

Brief Introduction of Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A virus causes the hepatitis A disease which has an impulsive start and increases abruptly and finishes in a short time. The disease is associated with bad sanitation condition, intake of unhygienic food and water and close contact with people having the disease.

Every one in five patients diagnosed with hepatitis A need hospitalization for their treatment and for every 1000 patients with the disease, 3 to 5 people will die. Diarrhea, pain in the stomach, Jaundice and flu are some indicators of the disease.

Who Should Take Hepatitis A Vaccine?
Once you have recovered from hepatitis A, the body creates antibodies to fight the infection. Thus, you will no longer need vaccination if you have had the disease.

Children
Children aged less than one year cannot be vaccinated because there is no Licensed vaccine available for them in the United States. The children between 12 to 23 months of age are advised to be vaccinated by the CDC with the hepatitis A vaccine.

Travelers
Healthy international travelers who are not older than 40 years are suggested to get hepatitis A vaccination’s first dose before traveling internationally. People who are more than 40 years old can also get an immune globulin (IG) shot in addition to the hepatitis A vaccine. The same can be given to people who have a weakened immune system and who have a chronic medical or liver condition two weeks before going on their travel. Those who do not want to get the hepatitis A vaccine because they are allergic to a component of the vaccine or a less than one year old can also opt to just get a shot of IG.

Others
The hepatitis A vaccine is supposed to be used by all those who are more than 12 months old and are at a greater risk of getting infected by the virus. Moreover, people living in a locality where the rate of disease is greater should also get vaccinated. Such people include:

• People in the military


• Bisexual and homosexual males, who are involved in sex activity that is risky


• Those in the laboratory who work with the hepatitis A virus


• People who work in child day care centers


• Those responsible for dealing with food products and items


• Users of illegal injections and drugs


• People who live or move through areas where hepatitis A virus infects more people


• Those who work in mental hospitals or facilities where such people are cared for


• Those who are responsible for handling primate animals


• People who suffer from a recurrent liver disease


• People who have compromised blood clotting ability

Who Should Not Take Hepatitis A Vaccine?
There are certain people who should not take hepatitis A vaccination. They are:

• A person who has had life threatening allergic reaction should inform about that reaction to his doctor. In case the reaction was because of a vaccine component, the person should not take the vaccine. Alum is present in all hepatitis A vaccines and 2-phenoxyethanol is part of some vaccines.


• A person who is suffering from an illness at the time of vaccination should get their vaccine to be scheduled later. Anyway, the best thing is to consult your doctor if you are in the circumstance.


• You should inform your physician in case you are pregnant at the time of vaccination. Though the vaccination contains killed virus and there is not much risk to both mother and fetus, yet it is better to let the physician look at the risks before getting the vaccination.

When to Take Hepatitis A Vaccine
HAVRIX and VAQTA are the two main hepatitis A vaccines available in the United States. Both are very similar as both require two doses and can be administered to any one more than one year old. In both these vaccines, the first dose makes your body ready to receive the vaccine while the second dose is to be administered after 6 to 12 months after the first dose. The second dose provides the immunization from the disease.

TWINRIX is another vaccination available for hepatitis A. The vaccine also provides protection against Hepatitis B. It has to be administered in 3 doses and can only be given to people more than 18 years old.

All vaccines make a person immune to the virus for up to 25 years in case he is an adult and for 14 to 20 years, if the person is a child.

What Are the Side Effects of Hepatitis A Vaccine?
There are very few risks of a hepatitis A vaccine causing serious side effects. It is much safer to get the vaccine than the disease. However, in case any of the following symptoms appear, you should straight away contact your physician.

• A feeling of lethargy that has no apparent reason


• Temperature reaching more than 99.5 °F


• A feeling of sickness

In addition to these side effects, the vaccine might cause additional side effects which do not require medical care. These effects would go away as the body adapts to the medicine. In case these side effects persist, you should get in contact with your physician:

• Loss of weight


• Pain in the arm


• Loss of blood between periods


• A decrease in body strength


• Redness, aching or swelling at the place where vaccine was injected


• The pattern of periods is altered


• The injection site feels warm and soft


• Menstrual bleeding stops suddenly

Is Hepatitis A Contagious?

Is Hepatitis A Contagious?

Hepatitis A is a liver disease that people get from an infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV). It can range from a mild illness lasting 2 to 3 weeks, to several months of severe illness. The HAV is one of the types of hepatitis viruses that affect the liver's ability to function normally. Luckily, this disease would not result in chronic disease and it seldom causes severe consequences such as liver failure or death. Both adults and children can be infected with HAV, but children are the primary victims.

Is Hepatitis A Contagious?
HAV is extremely contagious, and often will become epidemics with outbreaks linked to consuming contaminated food in restaurants. Although it's true that food-service-workers can start a widespread epidemic, they themselves may have no symptoms, and don't even know they have it. However, many other types of food can also be infected by sewage containing HAV, and common carriers such as clams and oysters are good examples.

How Is Hepatitis A Spread?
People who are infected with HAV can spread the virus to others for 3 weeks or longer, whether or not they are showing symptoms of illness. Unfortunately, even a tiny amount of HAV can be transferred from a surface.

Through Person to Person Contact

• When an infected person has sex or sexual contact with another person.


• When an infected person doesn't practice proper hygiene by washing their hands properly after visits to the bathroom and touching other objects or food.


• When a caregiver or parent doesn't practice proper hygiene by washing their hands properly after cleaning up the stool of an infected person, or changing diapers.

Through Contaminated Food or Water
Hepatitis A may be spread by eating or drinking food or water that is contaminated with the virus, including undercooked or frozen food. Although this is more likely to occur in countries where HAV is common, and in areas where there are poor personal hygiene, or poor sanitary conditions. Is hepatitis A contagious with certain foods? Yes, the items most likely to be contaminated are vegetables, fruits, shellfish, water, and ice. However, in well developed nations chlorination of water kills the HAVs that may enter the water supply.

Who Are More Likely to Be Infected?
People who have never had hepatitis A and who haven't been vaccinated against HAV, are more likely at risk of infection. The risk of infection is greatest in developing countries and most HAV infections will occur during early childhood. Is hepatitis A contagious to older people? Yes, and those who are in areas where direct fecal-oral transmission is likely to occur, such as prisons, mental institutions, and day-care centers. People who are more likely to be infected also include:

• International travellers to developing countries


• People with close contact of people infected with HAV


• Military members stationed abroad, especially in developing countries


• The sexual partners of people infected with HAV


• Men having sex with other men


• People who may work with HAV infected people


• People who are using illegal drugs, injected or non-injected


• People who work in professions such as food preparation, or health care


• People who work or live in close quarters, such as residential facilities, day-care facilities, prisons, and dormitories


• Health care workers who work in rural and native communities


• Free-bleeders who may receive plasma


• Mentally ill people and their caregivers

How to Prevent It
Is hepatitis A contagious? Yes, but there're ways to avoid getting the disease in the first place as well as measures to avoid spreading the disease to others.

Vaccination
Vaccines are available for the prevention of HAV infection in persons over the age of one. However, the vaccine can take up to 2 weeks to provide protection. Vaccination is recommended for high risk groups of people such as plumbers, people with liver disease, sewage treatment workers, intravenous drug users, etc.

Good Hygiene
Everyone should always practice proper hygiene by washing their hands thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds, and dry them using a clean towel:

• After using the rest-room


• After handling objects such as condoms or diapers


• Before preparing any food or drink


• Before your meals

What Can Be Done to Avoid Infecting Others?
If you have HAV, along with washing your hands properly, you should avoid the following conditions when you're infectious, which is until at least one week after the onset of Jaundice:

• Don't share eating or drinking utensils with others


• Don't prepare any food or drink for others


• Don't share towels and linens with others


• Don't have intercourse


• Wash eating utensils in hot soapy water, and machine wash towels and linens

The following people who have HAV should not attend school or work while infectious, including:

• Food handlers


• People whose work involves close personal contact, such as health care and child care workers


• Children


• Those who were infected should check with their health care provider before returning to work or school.

How Will You Know If You're Infected?
Is hepatitis A contagious? Yes, but how do you know if you were infected? Symptoms, if they occur, usually begin about 2 to 6 weeks after exposure to HAV. About 8 out of 10 adults will have symptoms, while children seldom show any symptoms at all. They develop over a couple of days in mild infections, and last about 4 to 6 weeks. The more severe infections can last about 6 months.

Common symptoms include:

• Loss of appetite


• Low fever


• Extreme fatigue


• Nausea and vomiting


• Muscular aches and pains

A few days later, some symptoms of liver problems may appear, including:

• Light-colored bowel movements


• Dark urine


• Yellowing in the white parts of your eyes


• Yellow skin (jaundice). It's less common in children under age 6.


• Itchy Skin


• Stomach ache


• Nausea and vomiting

If your child has HAV, they might also have:

• A cough


• A Sore Throat


• Other cold symptoms

If you're over age 50, or have a long-term liver disease, you may have a more severe case of the disease called fulminate HAV infection. Symptoms include:

• Confusion and changes in alertness


• Liver function continues to get worse


• Yellowing of the skin and eyes that gets worse


• Blood clotting problems

When you see your physician, they may spot other signs that you've got the disease, such as:

• Tenderness in the upper right side of your belly


• Swollen liver and Spleen

When to Worry
A health care provider should be consulted if any of the following conditions occur:

• Nausea and vomiting that does not improve within 48 hours


• Yellow eyes or skin


• Dark colored urine


• Pain in the abdomen

A physician can diagnose HAV by a physical exam, personal history, and blood tests.

Hepatitis A Vaccine Side Effects

Hepatitis A Vaccine Side Effects

Hepatitis A virus is responsible for the highly contagious liver infection hepatitis A. This is just one of the hepatitis viruses that cause the liver to be inflamed and affects its functionality. Hepatitis A can be acquired from close contact with an infected person, or consuming contaminated food or water. If the infection is mild, you can recover without medication and with no permanent liver damage. Good hygiene like frequent washing of hands is among the best ways of protecting yourself from hepatitis A. People who are at high risk of getting hepatitis A can get vaccinated but hep Avaccineside effects must be keptin mind.

Hepatitis A Vaccine Side Effects in Adult
Hepatitis A vaccine might cause some side effects as it delivers its needed benefits. You might not experience all the side effects.

Consult Your Doctor if You Experience the Following Side Effects
1. Common Ones

• Unusual weakness or tiredness


• General feeling of illness or discomfort


• If your fever is higher than 99.5°F

2. Rare Ones

Wheezing	Loss of voice
Voice changes	Itching, particularly hands and feet
Unusual weakness or tiredness (severe and sudden)	Tender, painful or swollen lymph glands in the groin, armpit and neck
Chest feeling tight	Hives
Swollen tender glands in the neck	Swelling of the face, eyes or inside the nose
Hoarseness	Ear congestion
Sore Throat or Headache	Soreness or dryness of the throat
Sneezing	Difficulty with swallowing and breathing
Shortness of breath	Cough
Runny nose	Pain or body aches
Skin turning red, particularly around the ears	Chills
Nasal Congestion	Chest congestion

3. Incidence Not Known

Confusion	Shakiness and unsteady walk
Yellow skin or eyes	Pins and needles sensation
Vomiting blood	Seizures
Trembling, unsteadiness or other issues with muscle coordination or control	Sores, white spots and Ulcers in the mouth or lips
Unpleasant breath	Rash
Swollen lymph glands	Pinpoint red spots on the skin
Swelling or puffiness around the eyes or eyelids, lips, face or tongue	Sudden numbness and weakness in legs and arms
Nausea	Muscle cramps or aches
Stiff Neck	Loss of appetite
Stabbing pain	Dark urine
Irritated, red eyes	Muscle or joint pain
Slurred speech	Increased sweating
Blood In Stool or urine	Inability to move legs and arms
Loosening, peeling or blistering of the skin	Hallucinations
Bleeding gums	Forgetfulness
Tarry black stools	Flu-like symptoms
Back pain	Feeling depressed or sad
Agitation	Discomfort
Stomach or abdominal pain	Fast heartbeat
Dizziness	Fainting or Coma
Difficulty with walking	Drowsiness
Difficulty controlling bowels and bladder	Blurred vision
Diarrhea	Clay-colored stool
Large, hive-like swelling on sex organs, lips, feet, legs, hands, throat, tongue, eyelids or face	Pins and needles, prickling, numbness, itching, crawling, burning or tingling sensation in legs, feet, arms or hands

Temporary HepatitisA Vaccine Side Effects
There are other Hep A vaccine side effects that do not need medical attention. They will fade as treatment continues but your doctor might tell you ways to reduce or prevent these side effects.

1. More CommonOnes

It may include Weight Loss, pain, lumps, warmth or tenderness, swelling or redness at the site of the injection.

2. Less Common Ones

It may include unusual stopping of menstrual periods, change in pattern of monthly bleeding, loss or lack of strength, bleeding between periods, arm pain, etc.

3. Rare Ones

Welts	Excessive muscle tone
Inability to sleep	Lightheadedness or dizziness
Trouble sleeping	Difficulty moving
Sleeplessness	Difficulty with night vision
Spinning sensation	Dark purple bruises
Muscle tightness or tension	Blood collection under the skin
Loss of taste	Change in taste
Eyes increase sensitivity to the sun	Change in color vision
Constant feeling of movement of surroundings or self

4. Incidence Not Known

Hives	Rash
Feeling of pressure	Pain
Skin discoloration	Numbness
Coldness	Lumps
Burning	Itching
Blistering	Inflammation
Bleeding	Infection
Stinging	Swelling
Soreness	Warmth at injection site
Scarring	Ulceration
Redness	Tingling
Unusual drowsiness or sleepiness	Tenderness

Hepatitis A Vaccine Side Effects in Children
You should make sure to report any hep A vaccine side effects your child previously experienced before getting another shot. The following are some of the side effects of hep A on children and do know that this is just a general list, not a complete list.

1. Get emergency medical attentionif your child shows the following signs of an allergic reaction:

• Hives


• Difficulty breathing


• Swelling of throat, face, tongue or lips

2. Call your doctor if you notice any of the following serious side effects:

• Fainting or extreme drowsiness


• Irritability, mild fussiness or crying for an hour or more


• Seizure (convulsions or black-out)


• High fever after a few hours or days after the vaccine

3. Less serious hepA vaccine side effects include:

• Redness, swelling or hard lump at the injection site


• Headache


• Sore throat


• Joint pain


• Diarrhea


• Stomach pain


• Vomiting and nausea


• Loss of appetite


• Tired feeling, dizziness


• Mild crying or fussiness


• Mild fever

Watch the video below to know what hepatitis A is, how one get it, when to get the vaccine:

Hepatitis A Vaccine

Hepatitis A Vaccine

Every year hepatitis A virus affects 1.4 million people around the world and as many as 32,000 in the United States. This figure is very unfortunate because the risk of virus goes down substantially by just having access to clean water and regular hand washing. In addition, vaccine for hepatitis A is also available to stop the infection from ever happening in an individual. In short, the disease should not affect so many people worldwide because it can be prevented so easily.

What Is Hepatitis A Vaccine?


The vaccine used to stop hepatitis A virus from happening is called hepatitis A Vaccine. The vaccine is produced by using whole hepatitis A virus which is killed. Since the virus is not alive, a person cannot have hepatitis A from the vaccine. The vaccination works by helping the body in producing antibodies to fight the hepatitis A virus. These antibodies will help the body to fight off the virus in the future.

Brief Introduction of Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A virus causes the hepatitis A disease which has an impulsive start and increases abruptly and finishes in a short time. The disease is associated with bad sanitation condition, intake of unhygienic food and water and close contact with people having the disease.

Every one in five patients diagnosed with hepatitis A need hospitalization for their treatment and for every 1000 patients with the disease, 3 to 5 people will die. Diarrhea, pain in the stomach, Jaundice and flu are some indicators of the disease.

Who Should Take Hepatitis A Vaccine?
Once you have recovered from hepatitis A, the body creates antibodies to fight the infection. Thus, you will no longer need vaccination if you have had the disease.

Children
Children aged less than one year cannot be vaccinated because there is no Licensed vaccine available for them in the United States. The children between 12 to 23 months of age are advised to be vaccinated by the CDC with the hepatitis A vaccine.

Travelers
Healthy international travelers who are not older than 40 years are suggested to get hepatitis A vaccination’s first dose before traveling internationally. People who are more than 40 years old can also get an immune globulin (IG) shot in addition to the hepatitis A vaccine. The same can be given to people who have a weakened immune system and who have a chronic medical or liver condition two weeks before going on their travel. Those who do not want to get the hepatitis A vaccine because they are allergic to a component of the vaccine or a less than one year old can also opt to just get a shot of IG.

Others
The hepatitis A vaccine is supposed to be used by all those who are more than 12 months old and are at a greater risk of getting infected by the virus. Moreover, people living in a locality where the rate of disease is greater should also get vaccinated. Such people include:

• People in the military


• Bisexual and homosexual males, who are involved in sex activity that is risky


• Those in the laboratory who work with the hepatitis A virus


• People who work in child day care centers


• Those responsible for dealing with food products and items


• Users of illegal injections and drugs


• People who live or move through areas where hepatitis A virus infects more people


• Those who work in mental hospitals or facilities where such people are cared for


• Those who are responsible for handling primate animals


• People who suffer from a recurrent liver disease


• People who have compromised blood clotting ability

Who Should Not Take Hepatitis A Vaccine?
There are certain people who should not take hepatitis A vaccination. They are:

• A person who has had life threatening allergic reaction should inform about that reaction to his doctor. In case the reaction was because of a vaccine component, the person should not take the vaccine. Alum is present in all hepatitis A vaccines and 2-phenoxyethanol is part of some vaccines.


• A person who is suffering from an illness at the time of vaccination should get their vaccine to be scheduled later. Anyway, the best thing is to consult your doctor if you are in the circumstance.


• You should inform your physician in case you are pregnant at the time of vaccination. Though the vaccination contains killed virus and there is not much risk to both mother and fetus, yet it is better to let the physician look at the risks before getting the vaccination.

When to Take Hepatitis A Vaccine
HAVRIX and VAQTA are the two main hepatitis A vaccines available in the United States. Both are very similar as both require two doses and can be administered to any one more than one year old. In both these vaccines, the first dose makes your body ready to receive the vaccine while the second dose is to be administered after 6 to 12 months after the first dose. The second dose provides the immunization from the disease.

TWINRIX is another vaccination available for hepatitis A. The vaccine also provides protection against Hepatitis B. It has to be administered in 3 doses and can only be given to people more than 18 years old.

All vaccines make a person immune to the virus for up to 25 years in case he is an adult and for 14 to 20 years, if the person is a child.

What Are the Side Effects of Hepatitis A Vaccine?
There are very few risks of a hepatitis A vaccine causing serious side effects. It is much safer to get the vaccine than the disease. However, in case any of the following symptoms appear, you should straight away contact your physician.

• A feeling of lethargy that has no apparent reason


• Temperature reaching more than 99.5 °F


• A feeling of sickness

In addition to these side effects, the vaccine might cause additional side effects which do not require medical care. These effects would go away as the body adapts to the medicine. In case these side effects persist, you should get in contact with your physician:

• Loss of weight


• Pain in the arm


• Loss of blood between periods


• A decrease in body strength


• Redness, aching or swelling at the place where vaccine was injected


• The pattern of periods is altered


• The injection site feels warm and soft


• Menstrual bleeding stops suddenly