Hepatitis A

• Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A can affect anyone. Unlike other hepatitis viruses, hepatitis A virus is usually not spread by blood.
• The hepatitis A virus is usually found in the stool (feces) of infected people. The virus is most likely to be spread when infected people do not wash their hands or do not wash their hands adequately after they use the toilet, or change a diaper or soiled sheets and then touch their own mouths, prepare food for others or touch others with their contaminated hands. This spreads the disease from person to person.
• Good personal hygiene, especially handwashing, can help prevent hepatitis A.

This web page includes the following information:

• Hepatitis A Public Health Fact Sheets
  • English (PDF) | RTF
  • Spanish (PDF) | RTF
  • Portuguese (PDF) | RTF
  • Vietnamese (PDF) | RTF
• Handwashing Materials
• MDPH Hepatitis C Web Page
• CDC Viral Hepatitis A Web Page