Hepatitis A

Hepatitis A is a virus which affects the liver. Occasionally it is severe enough to cause liver failure, with 2% of cases in adults being fatal. Children often have no symptoms.

Symptoms

Fever, tiredness, loss of appetite, nausea, stomach discomfort, the skin and the whites of the eyes become yellow.

How do you catch hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A infection usually occurs through eating or drinking food and water contaminated with human waste or sewage. It can also be spread from one person to another and by people with poor personal hygiene who handle or prepare food.

Incubation period
Average of 28 days but can be up to 50 days

Diagnosis
The diagnosis is confirmed by a blood test.

Prevention
A hepatitis A vaccine gives a high level of protection. Care should be taken with personal hygiene. Follow advice from the travel health nurse regarding foods that should be avoided (especially shellfish) and do not drink the local water.

Treatment
There is no specific treatment available. Hospital care may be necessary if the illness becomes more serious.

Book Appointment

Vaccination options

Live vaccine, not suitable for everyone (please discuss with a nurse).

Level of protection: ~ 95-99%

Protection duration: Up to 1 year after a single dose. 2nd dose extends protection to at least 25 years.

How is it given: Single injection with booster at 6-12 months, combined vaccines may have different schedules.

Ideally start: 2 weeks before travel however can be given to last minute travellers.

View our prices

Did you know?

  • Recovery from hepatitis A can take several weeks or months, but sufferers will then be immune to hepatitis A for life.
  • In general, the severity of the disease increases with age.
  • Hepatitis A is more common in developing countries, where there is poor sanitation.

Clinical Oversight By:

Professor David Ross

Professor David Ross OStJ

Medical Director, MASTA

PhD MSc MBBS MRCGP FRCPCH FFPH FFTM RCPS(Glasg.) FRCP(Glasg.)

GMC No. 3115417

Professor David Ross OStJ is the Medical Director of MASTA and has been associated with MASTA since 2005. He served 41 years in the Army, including over 10 years as senior advisor on public health to the UK Surgeon General. In 2012 he was appointed the Parkes Professor of Preventive Medicine, in 2014 an Honorary Queen’s Physician and in 2023 an Officer in the Order of St John.

Professor David Ross

Professor David Ross OStJ

Medical Director, MASTA

PhD MSc MBBS MRCGP FRCPCH FFPH FFTM RCPS(Glasg.) FRCP(Glasg.)

GMC No. 3115417

Professor David Ross is the Medical Director at MASTA and has been associated with the company since 2005. He was commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1983 and graduated in medicine from St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London in 1986. In 2012 he was appointed the Parkes Professor of Preventive Medicine, in 2014 an Honorary Queen’s Physician and in 2023 an Officer in the Order of St John. He was the senior advisor on public health from 2012–2023 to the UK Surgeon General. He retired from the Army in October 2024, after 41 years active service.

Professor David Ross was Director of Education, Honorary Secretary, and Vice Dean before becoming Dean of the Faculty of Travel Medicine, Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons (Glasgow) in October 2024. Recent travel medicine research interests have included malaria prevention and tuberculosis screening. He was Chief Examiner of the Diploma of Medicine in Conflict & Catastrophes at the Society of Apothecaries until 2024, is Chair of the Final UK MFPH and an Examiner at the UK Faculty of Public Health.

The last few years of his military working life were dominated by supporting the international and national public health response to COVID-19, where he managed many large COVID outbreaks both overseas and in the UK. David also led research into risk factors for mental ill health in the UK Army and for this was awarded a PhD by the University of Glasgow in 2024.