There were 477 acute hepatitis A cases reported last year, the most in nine years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday.
The hepatitis A case total last year was the highest since 2017, comprising 447 locally acquired cases and 30 imported cases, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said.
Among the local cases, 82.8 percent were men, while the 30-to-39 age group accounted for 36.2 percent, followed by the 20-to-29 age group at 28.5 percent, Lee said.
Photo: CNA
The monthly count of local cases last year significantly increased after March, with 50 to 65 new cases reported every month from July to November, she said.
“Unlike hepatitis B or C, acute hepatitis A primarily transmits through the fecal-oral route, meaning that people can become infected by ingesting contaminated food or having close personal contact with an infected person,” CDC Acute Infectious Diseases Division Director Yang Ching-hui (楊靖慧) said.
Among local cases, nearly 40 percent were infected through intimate contact with an infected person, the CDC said.
The incubation period for acute hepatitis A is typically 15 to 50 days, and the virus can spread during that period, even before the onset of symptoms, which commonly include fever, fatigue and poor appetite, Yang said, adding that adults often have more serious symptoms.
People with pre-existing liver disease or chronic hepatitis who contract the disease have significantly increased risk of developing severe illness, including acute liver failure, but people who fully recover from an acute hepatitis A infection generally obtain lifelong immunity and do not become chronic carriers, she said.
The government began offering hepatitis A vaccines to children aged 15 months or older in mountainous areas in June 1995, Yang said.
With donations from civic groups, the vaccine has been available nationwide to children aged 12 months or older since 2018, so children under 10 years old generally have good protection against the virus, she said.
However, a CDC survey in 2020 found that only about 10 percent of people aged 21 to 40 have immunity against hepatitis A, while the rate is 40 percent among people aged 41 to 50, she said.
Hepatitis A can be avoided through good hygiene, including frequent handwashing and cooking food thoroughly, she said, adding that a single-dose vaccination can provide protection of up to 90 percent for three to five years, while two doses can provide protection for more than 20 years.
CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠) said that hepatitis A prevention has three main aspects: food, environment and personal hygiene.
People should cook food thoroughly, as the hepatitis A virus can be destroyed in food by heating it to 85°C for at least one minute, while environments can be effectively disinfected using a diluted bleach solution of 1,000 parts per million, Lin said.
People should get vaccinated, wash their hands frequently and thoroughly with soap, use separate utensils to transfer food from serving dishes to individual plates and avoid unsafe sex, he said.
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