Hepatitis%20a%20-and-%20e Patient Education

Partner Notification

• Partner notification should be performed for at-risk sexual contacts (oral/anal, digital/rectal, and penetrative anal sex) within 2 weeks before to 1 week after the onset of jaundice

Patient Education

• Provide the patient with a detailed explanation of his condition
  
  • Provide clear, accurate, written information

• Advise patient to take adequate rest, nutrition and fluids during the course of the illness and alcohol intake should be avoided 
• Patients must avoid food handling and unprotected sexual intercourse until they become noninfectious because transmission of hepatitis A is mainly by the oral-fecal route
• Screen for other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) in cases of sexually-acquired hepatitis or if otherwise appropriate

Prevention

• Measures to provide clean drinking water, protecting the water supply from fecal contamination, and proper sewage disposal should be given priority in endemic areas
• Avoid eating raw pork, venison and shellfish; cooking meat at >185°F or >85°C for 1 minute may help kill hepatitis viruses
• Good hand hygiene should also be observed
• When traveling, avoid consumption of contaminated water, ice or foods
  • Drink only purified water when traveling; boiled or chlorinated water may also be considered