What to know about the outbreak of hepatitis in La

Public health officials in Los Angeles have announced an explosion of hepatitis A, a highly contagious liver infection powered by a virus, which in sporadic cases can cause a grave disease.

A state, which usually identifies in less than 50 people in LA, infects at least 138 people in 2024 each year, and the cases remained extremely high in 2025. Officials say that the levels of the virus in local sewage suggest These numbers are inputable.

Here’s what to know.

How is hepatitis A transmitted?

Local inflammation virus is spreading the so -called oral path, which means that it is consumed by food or drinks that have been contaminated with microscopic pieces of the stool from an infected person. It can also spread in close contact with someone who wears the virus, even if it does not show any symptoms.

Including people are often more exposed to virus in hepatitis A virus because they have confined access to appropriate toilets and manual washing facilities. The virus also occurs among travelers in places with bad sanitary conditions, men having sex with men and people who utilize drugs.

But officials say that many of the last cases took place in people without these risk factors. They don’t know why, but Dr. Timothy Brewer, a doctor of an infectious disease and an epidemiologist in Ucla, said he led him to worry about two things: Food pollutionand circulation of the community.

“If you practice good hygiene in a community that has access to drinking water, you really shouldn’t see much,” he said. “Something is happening – but exactly what something is, we don’t know yet.”

What are the symptoms of hepatitis A infection?

The first signs of infection can look like a classic stomach error: fever, fatigue, nausea and loss of appetite, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. Over time, people who have been infected can also experience yellowed skin and eyes, gloomy urine and pale stool.

One of the challenges associated with stopping the explosion of hepatitis is that contacting contact may be almost impossible. The infection can incur up to seven weeks before the appearance of symptoms, and the person carrying the virus can spread it up to two weeks before they feel diseased.

In addition, a significant percentage of people who will be infected does not experience grave symptoms, said Dr. Edward Jones-Lopz, a specialist in infectious diseases at Keck Medicine University of Southern California, so they do not visit a doctor who, in turn, does not conduct blood examination and does not report the case.

Grave symptoms are most often observed in older adults, people with chronic liver diseases and people with a weakened immune or HIV system in sporadic cases, hepatitis infection of type and can be fatal. At least seven people died in this explosion. This may seem like an extremely high mortality rate, but officials believe that many more people have been infected than the official numbers show. Most were probably asymptomatic or showed symptoms subtle enough to be mistakenly identified.

How is hepatitis?

There are no specific antiviral drugs for hepatitis A. Infection will usually be solved in a few weeks, and most people do not have eternal liver damage. But for some hospitalization may be necessary.

In sporadic cases, the infection can transform into acute liver failure called cautious hepatitis, which may require a transplant, said Dr. Jones-Lopz. “It can do very, very quickly – it’s a very grave disease.”

If you think you can be infected, be sure to visit a doctor, drink a lot of liquids and relax.

How can I avoid it?

The best way to prevent viral hepatitis A is vaccination. Diagram – two doses of vaccine, at least six months – provides protection of life. He has been routinely passed on to children over the past two decades, but many adults at the age of 25 and older have not taken photos, unless they were at a high risk group.

The fact that the epidemic occurs outside conventional populations “emphasizes the need to re -assess how – and where – we are guided by prevention efforts,” said Dr. Anne Rimoin, a professor of epidemiology at UCLA, because “infection anywhere is potentially infection.”

If you are unvaccinated, but you know that you have been exposed to a person carrying a virus, quick vaccination may prevent you from being infected. Experts say that some people with a weakened immune system that are exposed can also take advantage of the receipt of immune globulin. And good hygiene is a wise protective means for everyone; Wash your hands with soap and water, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing food.