Pritzker Olsen Attorneys

Prevention

Hepatitis A Prevention in Your Family

The following information about hepatitis A modes of transfer and prevention is provided by Pritzker | Olsen, P.A., a nationally-recognized law firm in the area of foodborne illness lawsuits. Attorney Fred Pritzker has 29 years of experience and, in recognition of his excellence, has been selected by other attorneys for inclusion in the 2005-2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. If you or someone you love has become seriously ill from hepatitis A or any other foodborne illness, contact us for a free consultation regarding your legal rights and remedies. You can reach one of our highly-qualified lawyers by calling toll-free at 1-888-377-8900, e-mailing info@pritzkerlaw.com, or filling in our on-line consultation form.  For more information about Fred Pritzker, see Food Poisoning: Attorney.

Hepatitis A Prevention

These steps should be taken to protect your family from hepatitis A:

  • Cook all meat thoroughly
  • Return undercooked meat at restaurants
  • Keep your kitchen clean of harmful germs
  • Drink only pasteurized milk, juice, or cider
  • Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly
  • Be aware of the water you drink
  • Wash hands with soap
  • Get the Hepatitis A vaccine

Because we have safety regulations in place in the U.S., the risk of hepatitis A infection in this country is not nearly as great as it is in the developing world. But until hepatitis A is completely eradicated in this country—an unlikely event—it is important that you understand the hepatitis A prevention steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Hepatitis A Prevention: Food Preparation and Consumption

You can take hepatitis prevention steps to avoid spreading harmful germs in your kitchen. You should keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat foods. Wash your hands, counters, and utensils with hot soapy water after they touch raw meat. You should never place cooked meat on the unwashed plate that held the raw meat. Wash your meat thermometer between testing meat or shellfish that requires further cooking. The following is additional information about food handling and Hepatitis A prevention:

  • Meat: Your family should cook meat, poultry and shellfish thoroughly. Use a digital instant-read meat thermometer. Make sure it reads at least 160º Fahrenheit. If a restaurant serves your family an undercooked hamburger or other meat product, send it back for thorough cooking. Do not hesitate to ask for a new bun and a clean plate as well.
  • Beverages: You should drink only pasteurized milk, juice, or cider. Commercial juice in boxes and vacuum-sealed juice in glass containers have been pasteurized, though it may not say so on the label. Juice concentrates are heated sufficiently enough to kill pathogens.
  • Water: Find out if your municipal water has been treated with chlorine or other effective disinfectants. When swimming, avoid swallowing lake or pool water. If someone who is infected with Hepatitis A has been swimming in the water, it could become contaminated.
  • Fruits and Vegetables: You should wash your fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially if they will not be cooked before eating. The elderly, people with fragile immune systems and children under five years of age should not eat alfalfa sprouts. Research is underway to devise methods to decontaminate alfalfa seeds and sprouts.

Hepatitis A Prevention: Contact with Family Members
You can reduce the risk of spreading infection by ensuring that people with diarrhea (especially children) wash their hands carefully with soap after bowel movements. Children who are in daycare are more likely to be exposed to hepatitis A. You should always wash your hands after changing soiled diapers. Anyone with diarrhea should not swim in public pools or lakes, share baths with others, or prepare food for others.

Hepatitis A Vaccination
A vaccine is an injection that gives your body the tools it needs to attack certain viruses. A hepatitis A vaccination helps your body produce antibodies that can combat the hepatitis A virus if you become infected in the future. With all of the hepatitis A modes of transfer from feces to food to human, you should discuss getting a hepatitis A vaccination with your doctor.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently recommended that Hepatitis A vaccinations be routinely given to children 12 months and older.  You should consult your pediatrician regarding this.

For short-term protection from hepatitis A, an injection of antibodies called Immune globulin can be given by a doctor. It can also be used for persons who have already been exposed to the hepatitis A virus.


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