Hepatitis E primary prevention
|
Hepatitis E Microchapters |
|
Diagnosis |
|---|
|
Treatment |
|
Hepatitis E primary prevention On the Web |
|
American Roentgen Ray Society Images of Hepatitis E primary prevention |
|
Risk calculators and risk factors for Hepatitis E primary prevention |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: João André Alves Silva, M.D. [2]
Overview
Prevention
Hepatitis E may be prevented by two ways:
- Limiting exposure to the virus
- Immunization through vaccines
Hepatitis E is a zoonosis, therefore prevention of the disease should start by avoiding transmission of the virus from animals to humans. As almost all HEV infections are spread by the faecal - oral route, improving sanitation is the most important measure, along with good personal hygiene. High quality standards for public water supplies and proper disposal of sanitary waste have resulted in a low prevalence of HEV infections in many well developed societies.[1]
For travellers to high endemic areas, the usual elementary food hygiene precautions are recommended. These include:[2]
- Avoiding drinking water and/or ice of unknown purity
- Eating uncooked shellfish, uncooked fruits or vegetables that are not peeled or prepared by the traveller
- Cook pork thoroughly
- Avoid eating shellfish
Although rare, transmission has been reported through blood transfusions. Therefore screening of blood is considered a preventive measure.[3]
Guidelines for Epidemic Measures
The following measures should be observed in an epidemic situation:[2]
- Determination of the mode of transmission
- Identification of the population with an increased risk of infection
- Elimination of a common source of infection
- Improvement of sanitary and hygienic practices to eliminate faecal contamination of food and water
Vaccination
References
- ↑ Mandell, Gerald (2010). Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's principles and practice of infectious diseases. Philadelphia, PA: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier. ISBN 0443068399.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Hepatitis E".
- ↑ Hoofnagle JH, Nelson KE, Purcell RH (2012). "Hepatitis E." N Engl J Med. 367 (13): 1237–44. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1204512. PMID 23013075.