In this Article

• Hepatitis A facts*
• What is hepatitis A?
• What is the liver?
• Who gets hepatitis A?
• How could I get hepatitis A?
• What are the symptoms of hepatitis A?
• How is hepatitis A diagnosed?
• How is hepatitis A treated?
• How can I avoid getting hepatitis A?
• What should I do if I think I have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus?
• Eating, diet, and nutrition
• Hope through Research
• For More Information
• Acknowledgments
• Find a local Gastroenterologist in your town
• Hepatitis A Index

The liver is an organ that does many important things. You cannot live without a liver.

The liver

• removes harmful chemicals from your blood
• fights infection
• helps digest food
• stores nutrients and vitamins
• stores energy

Picture of the liver

Anyone can get hepatitis A, but those more likely to are people who

• travel to developing countries
• live with someone who currently has an active hepatitis A infection
• use illegal drugs, including noninjection drugs
• have unprotected sex with an infected person
• provide child care

Also, men who have sex with men are more likely to get hepatitis A.

You could get hepatitis A through contact with an infected person's stool. This contact could occur by

• eating food made by an infected person who didn't wash his or her hands after using the bathroom
• drinking untreated water or eating food washed in untreated water
• placing a finger or object in your mouth that came into contact with an infected person's stool
• having close personal contact with an infected person, such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill
• You cannot get hepatitis A from
• being coughed or sneezed on by an infected person
• sitting next to an infected person
• hugging an infected person

A baby cannot get hepatitis A from breast milk.