Czechia’s health authority has formally informed other EU countries of an outbreak of hepatitis A in the country. According to German Bild, over 2,300 people have been infected, leading to 28 deaths. The disease has hit Prague as well as Central Bohemia and the Karlovy Vary region. Novinky.cz reported a week ago that in Karlovy Vary, 18 of the 20 beds in the infectious disease department were filled by hepatitis patients.
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the HAV virus. It spreads primarily through the fecal-oral route, when a person ingests food, water, or objects contaminated with the virus from an infected individual’s stool, often due to poor sanitation or inadequate handwashing after using the bathroom. Close personal contact with an infected person can also lead to contagion. It is most common in countries with a low hygiene standard and has been rare in most European countries.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Western Europe saw just 3 cases per 100,000 people yearly on average between 2010 and 2019.
Homeless populations, drug users, and low immunization rates are cited as explanations for the epidemic, though routine vaccination against the disease has not been part of the recommended regimen in most Western countries. The health department across the border in German Saxony is now recommending vaccination, after Germany so far this year experienced 993 documented cases, leading to six deaths.
Symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, jaundice, and fever, though some cases are asymptomatic. In adults, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), dark urine, and pale stools typically develop later.
