Washing hands thoroughly and often is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of HAV.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It has many causes. One of the causes is infection with a virus called the hepatitis A virus (HAV). This virus most often spreads through infected food or water. It can also spread directly from person to person. This could happen if someone does not wash his or her hands after coming in contact with infected stool-for example, after using the bathroom or changing a dirty diaper. HAV spreads more easily in group settings such as daycare centers or nursing homes. Unlike Hepatitis B and C, HAV cannot become a chronic illness. It rarely causes long-term problems.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A Infection

Symptoms usually appear about 2 to 6 weeks after exposure to the virus. Possible symptoms include:

• Fever
• Tiredness and weakness
• Pain in the stomach area
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes, dark urine, light-colored stools)
• Itchy skin

Diagnosing Hepatitis A

A sample of blood is taken to test for HAV. Other tests may be done to check the health of the liver.

Treating Hepatitis A

There is no cure for hepatitis A. The virus will run its course. Treat symptoms as you would flu symptoms, including drinking fluids and getting plenty of rest. During recovery, avoid fatty foods. DO NOT drink alcohol, which can damage the liver. Also DO NOT take any over-the-counter medications without checking with your healthcare provider. The liver processes all medications, and certain medications can be harmful to the infected liver.

Preventing Hepatitis A from Spreading

A person with hepatitis A can spread the virus to others, even before symptoms appear. He or she can continue to spread the virus for a few days after symptoms start. Take these precautions to prevent HAV from spreading:

• Wash hands often, and always after using the bathroom or changing diapers and before preparing food or eating. Work up a good lather with soap and warm water. Scrub for at least 10-15 seconds, then rinse.
• Avoid work and public areas until symptoms are gone.
• Once you’ve had hepatitis A, you cannot get it again, so you don’t need the hepatitis A vaccine. But you should consider vaccination against hepatitis B, a more serious form of hepatitis.
• Members of the household should be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B if they haven’t been already

Gastroenteritis is commonly called the “stomach flu.” It is an inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes your stomach and intestines. Bacterial gastroenteritis (caused by bacteria) usually produces severe symptoms. It can even be fatal. This sheet tells you more about bacterial gastroenteritis, how it can be prevented, and how to care for it.

How Does Bacterial Gastroenteritis Spread?

• Contaminated food or water: You’re most likely to get gastroenteritis by consuming food or water containing harmful bacteria, such as salmonella and E coli. Food can become contaminated when food handlers don’t wash their hands or when food isn’t stored, handled, or cooked properly.
• Fecal-oral route: People with bacterial gastroenteritis have harmful bacteria in their stool. When they don’t wash their hands well after using the bathroom, they can spread the germs to objects. If you touch the same objects, you can pick up the germs on your hands and transfer them to your mouth.

What Are the Symptoms of Bacterial Gastroenteritis?

Many kinds of bacteria cause gastroenteritis. So, symptoms can vary. In some types of gastroenteritis, symptoms come on quickly. In others, they don’t appear for 24-48 hours. Symptoms can range from mild to severe and may include:

• Watery diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever and chills
• Abdominal pain
• Blood in the stool (in severe cases)

How Is Bacterial Gastroenteritis Diagnosed?

Your doctor takes a complete health history. Be sure to mention any recent trips and what you ate before you became ill. Keep in mind that symptoms may not appear for a day or two after you become infected. You may be asked to provide a sample of your stool. This is sent to a laboratory for testing. Don’t forget to check with your doctor or hospital emergency department to learn the test results. In some cases, you will be asked to see your doctor for follow-up care.

How Is Bacterial Gastroenteritis Treated?

• Bacterial gastroenteritis often goes away without treatment. In some cases, symptoms are gone in a day or two. In others, symptoms linger for weeks. In certain cases, it can take months for your bowels to return to normal.
• Replacing fluids lost through diarrhea and vomiting is important for a full recovery. If you are very dehydrated, you will be given fluids through an IV (intravenous) line placed in your arm.
• Medications that slow diarrhea may not be prescribed. They can prolong your illness.
• Your doctor will prescribe antibiotics only if your symptoms are caused by certain types of bacteria.
• You may be admitted to the hospital if your symptoms are very severe.

Easing Symptoms of Bacterial Gastroenteritis

In most cases, bacterial gastroenteritis is treated at home. To ease symptoms and prevent complications:

• Get plenty of rest.
• Drink lots of liquids to replace water lost through diarrhea and vomiting. Plain water, clear soups, and electrolyte solutions are best. (You can find electrolyte solutions in most drugstores.) Avoid carbonated drinks, alcohol, coffee, tea, colas, milk, fruit juice, and sports drinks. These can make symptoms worse. If nausea and vomiting make it hard for you to drink, try sucking on ice chips.
• Eat according to your healthcare provider’s instructions.
• Until the diarrhea clears up, avoid eating fruit and all dairy except yogurt. They can make diarrhea worse.

Preventing Bacterial Gastroenteritis at Home

• Always wash your hands well before preparing food and after handling raw meat and poultry.
• Wash all raw fruits and vegetables-even packaged ones-with a scrub brush or vegetable wash.
• Use one cutting board just for meat. Wash all cutting boards in hot, soapy water after use.
• Cook meat (beef, pork, lamb) until a meat thermometer reaches at least 145°F to 160°F (63°C to 71°C). Chicken and turkey should be cooked to at least 165°F (74°C).
• Wash your hands well after changing diapers. Dispose of diapers carefully so bacteria don’t spread.
• Wash your hands well before and after contact with someone who is ill. Use soap and water or an alcohol-based hand gel containing at least 60 percent alcohol.
• Wear gloves when handling clothing, bed linen, or towels belonging to a sick person. Discard the gloves after each use. Then wash your hands well. Wash bed linen and other personal items separately in hot water with detergent and liquid bleach.

Preventing Gastroenteritis in Healthcare Settings

Washing your hands carefully and often is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of bacteria that cause gastroenteritis.

Many hospitals and nursing homes take these steps to help prevent the spread of gastroenteritis:

• Handwashing: Healthcare workers wash their hands well with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand cleaner before and after treating each patient. They also wash their hands after touching any surface that may be contaminated.
• Protective clothing: Healthcare workers wear gloves and sometimes gowns when working with patients who have gastroenteritis. They remove these items before leaving the room.
• Private rooms: Patients with bacterial gastroenteritis are placed in private rooms or share a room with others who have the same infection.
• Safe food handling: Kitchen workers wash their hands often, cook foods properly, and disinfect all work surfaces.

Tips for Good Handwashing

Wash your hands often, and always after using the bathroom and playing with pets and before eating or preparing food. Clean the whole hand, under your nails, between your fingers, and up the wrists:

• Wash for at least 15 seconds. Don’t just wipe. Scrub well.
• Rinse, letting the water run down your fingers, not up your wrists.
• Dry your hands well. Use a paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the door.

Using Alcohol-Based Hand Gels

When your hands aren’t visibly dirty, an alcohol-based hand gel containing at least 60 percent alcohol is a good choice.

• Squeeze about a tablespoon of gel into the palm of one hand.
• Rub your hands together briskly, cleaning the backs of your hands, the palms, between your fingers, and up the wrists.
• Rub until the gel is gone and your hands are completely dry.

Hepatitis C can be a lifelong condition. But you can manage how it affects you. Discussing your health with your doctor and loved ones can help. So can taking steps to help keep yourself healthy. You’ll find that hepatitis C doesn’t have to control your life.

Hepatitis C won’t stop you from doing most of the things you enjoy.

What You Can Do

Most people with hepatitis C have it for the rest of their lives. But many people never have any major problems. You can help keep hepatitis C under control.

• Follow up with your healthcare provider. Learn more about your condition and how to keep yourself healthy. Ask about treatments that may help your body fight HCV.
• Avoid things that can make hepatitis C worse. Drinking alcohol makes you much more likely to have health problems related to hepatitis C. So does using certain medications and supplements. By avoiding these, you can greatly increase your chances of staying healthy.
• Protect others from becoming infected. Learn how HCV (hepatitis C virus) spreads from one person to another. Then take steps to keep from spreading the virus to people around you.

Hepatitis C is a disease that damages your liver. It can cause major health problems. You can even die from it. And you might not even know you have it. Hepatitis C is caused by the HCV virus. This virus spreads from person to person through blood. You’re at risk for hepatitis C if infected blood enters your body. Are you at risk for hepatitis C? If so, get tested.

Hepatitis testing involves a simple blood test. Blood is taken and sent to a lab. It may take a few weeks to get your test results.

Get Tested If:

• You’ve ever shot drugs, even once.
• You’ve shared needles, syringes, cotton, spoons, water, or other works.
• You received blood or had an organ transplant before 1992.
• You received clotting factors made before 1987.
• You’ve ever had kidney dialysis.
• Your doctor has found higher than normal levels of liver enzymes in your blood.

You may hear some of these words and phrases during your hepatitis C diagnosis and treatment. To learn more about any of these, ask your healthcare provider.

• Alpha interferon: A shorter-acting type of interferon treatment. Alpha interferon is usually injected three times per week.
• Combination therapy: Using both interferon and ribavirin during treatment.
• Decompensated: The liver is decompensated when it becomes unable to do its work. This happens in the final stages of cirrhosis. (When the liver can still do its work, it is compensated.)
• End-stage liver disease: When a patient has end-stage liver disease, the liver is barely working. A liver transplant is needed at this point.
• Nonresponder: Someone for whom treatment does not work.
• Peginterferon: A longer-acting type of interferon treatment. Peginterferon is injected only once a week. This is also called pegylated interferon.
• Platelet count: Tells how many platelets (cells important for blood clotting) are in the blood. The platelet count goes down as the liver develops scar tissue. This count helps doctors know how much liver damage there is.
• Relapser: Someone for whom treatment seems to work at first, but after treatment, the virus comes back.
• Responder: Someone for whom treatment works well. A sustained responder is still HCV-free 6 months after treatment ends.
• Viral load: Amount of HCV in the blood at a given time. In most cases, the lower the viral load, the better the person’s chance that treatment will work.

Many people don’t know the facts about hepatitis C. You may be concerned about things you’ve heard. Read on to learn what’s true about hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and what’s not.

Hepatitis C won’t stop you from hugging, kissing, or spending time with people you love.

Facts about HCV Infection:

• You can still have sex. Hepatitis C can be spread through sex, but this is uncommon. Your partner is safest if you use a latex condom correctly every time you have sex. If you’re in a committed relationship, you may not need to change your habits. Talk it over with your partner and do what feels right for both of you.
• Your family members are safe. Hepatitis C can only be spread through contact with infected blood. Touching, kissing, and sharing food are all safe. But sharing anything that may have blood on it, like a toothbrush or razor, is not. Protect yourself by avoiding other people’s blood.
• Most people with hepatitis C don’t die of it. Avoiding alcohol and taking other steps to protect your liver greatly reduces your chances of having life-threatening liver problems.
• If you are a woman, you can still breastfeed. If you are being treated for hepatitis C, or if your nipples are cracked or bleeding, you should not breastfeed. Otherwise, breastfeeding with hepatitis C is safe.
• You can have hepatitis C and not feel ill. Most people who have hepatitis C don’t feel sick or have symptoms. Symptoms are most common in later stages of the disease.

Taking good care of yourself is the best way to prevent health problems related to hepatitis C. Give your liver a fighting chance by avoiding things that can make liver damage worse. And help your body defend against HCV infection by staying healthy.

Watching Medications and Supplements

Some medications and herbal supplements can harm your liver. To protect yourself:

• Check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking anything that you buy over the counter.
• Learn the generic and brand names for over-the-counter products that may affect your liver.
• Make sure to tell any doctor who prescribes medication for you that you have hepatitis C.

Avoiding Alcohol

Your liver works hard to process alcohol. If you have HCV infection, drinking alcohol may make you more likely to develop cirrhosis. Your best defense against hepatitis C is to not drink any alcohol.

Staying Healthy

Your body’s immune system fights against infections. It’s more able to do this when your body is healthy. Eating healthy foods and getting plenty of sleep will help keep your body strong. And staying upbeat can help you keep hepatitis C in perspective.

The spread of HCV (hepatitis C virus) infection can be prevented. HCV is passed through blood. If you’re infected with HCV, avoid letting other people come in contact with your blood. With a little extra care you can keep the people around you safe.

Dispose of Needles Safely If you use needles for any reason, don’t share them. Keep syringes capped between uses and don’t let anyone else use them. After using a needle, dispose of it safely in a puncture-proof container. (Ask your healthcare provider about this.)		Practice Safer Sex Rarely, HCV can pass from person to person during sex. Using latex condoms correctly every time is the only effective way to protect against most diseases that are spread through sex. Women with HCV infection should avoid having sex during their menstrual periods.
Don’t Share Toiletries Even if you can’t see it, tiny amounts of blood can be on razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers, or other personal care items. Don’t share these items with anyone. Talk to your healthcare provider if you’re not sure what’s safe to share.		Care for Open Wounds If you’re bleeding, try to take care of the wound yourself. Anyone who helps you should wear latex gloves. Use bleach to clean up any spilled blood. Cover open cuts or sores with a bandage so o

Most people infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) carry the virus for the rest of their lives. But treatment helps some people get over HCV infection. Ask your healthcare provider about your options and how likely it is that treatment will work for you.

Your loved ones can help you decide whether now is a good time for you to try HCV treatment.

Things to Consider

Deciding whether or not to get treatment for HCV infection is not easy. Treatment doesn’t work for everyone. Your age, gender, and HCV genotype may affect how well treatment works. And because hepatitis C progresses slowly, not everyone needs treatment. Here are some things to think about:

• How healthy are you? People who are in good health now may never develop health problems from hepatitis C. Ask your healthcare provider if treatment is likely to benefit your health.
• Are the benefits worth the risks? Treatment for HCV infection can take up to a year and may cause side effects that make you feel sick. But after treatment, your body may be free of HCV. Discussing the pros and cons of treatment with your doctor and loved ones can help you reach a decision.
• Is now the right time? Think about how treatment will fit into your daily routine. During treatment, you may be too tired to keep up an active lifestyle. Talk to family members and close friends about how treatment would fit into your life and schedule.
• Do you plan to have a baby soon? HCV sometimes passes from mother to baby during birth. You may want to try to prevent this by getting treatment. But medications used to treat HCV infection can cause problems during pregnancy. If you and your partner are planning to have a baby soon, this will likely affect your hepatitis C treatment plans. Talk to your healthcare provider.

Hepatitis C is treated using two medications that help your body fight the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Treatment takes time and commitment. In some people, treatment completely rids the body of HCV.

During treatment, follow your doctor’s instructions exactly.

Medications

• Interferon is a protein that helps your immune system target HCV. It’s injected one or more times a week for up to 12 months. Most people are taught how to do these shots at home.
• Ribavirin makes it harder for HCV to reproduce inside the body. These pills are often taken along with interferon to make treatment more effective. The pills are taken twice a day for up to 12 months.

Side Effects

Hepatitis C treatment can cause side effects. They may include:

• Feeling like you have the flu. Symptoms include fever, upset stomach, headache, feeling tired, and not being hungry.
• Depression. This is more likely if you have a history of mental illness or depression.
• Anemia (having fewer red blood cells than normal). You may feel weak and get bruises more often. Anemia can be life-threatening for patients with heart or blood vessel disease.
• Birth defects. Hepatitis C treatment should not be done during or right before pregnancy.
• Other side effects. These include mood swings, rash, thyroid problems, coughing, and shortness of breath.