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Prevention
As noted above, washing your hands and adopting hygiene measures are both important ways to prevent hepatitis A. The virus does not survive in high temperatures, so boiling water gets rid of the virus automatically. We can also treat water with iodine and chlorine, and it will be adequate to destroy the virus, too.
Prevention should not start when we have a close relative with hepatitis A. Remember that the highest transmission happens in the prodromal state when patients do not have symptoms yet. Thus, high-risk countries and places with outbreaks of hepatitis A should immediately adopt hygienic measures, regardless of the apparent health of family members in a household.
After a patient is diagnosed, it is thus important to prevent further cases. That’s why doctors trace contacts and need to contact public health authorities, especially in countries where hepatitis A is not common.
