Prague, Czech Republic. [사진 = praguecitytourism] 사진 확대

Prague, Czech Republic. [사진 = praguecitytourism]

Hepatitis A spread rapidly in the Czech Republic, resulting in more than 900 infections, including 10 deaths.

According to the British media The Sun on the 5th, the Czech National Institute of Health (SZU) announced that as of the 21st of last month, there were 928 confirmed cases of hepatitis A and 10 deaths. It almost doubled from the May tally (450) and far exceeded the total number of confirmed cases (636) last year.

Hepatitis A is transmitted through hands, food, and water contaminated by feces of infected people. Czech health authorities called it a “dirty hands disease” in May and cautioned against it. When infected, the liver becomes inflamed and bilirubin is not properly discharged, resulting in jaundice, dark urine, and itching of the skin. Severe cases can lead to death from liver failure. The incubation period is two to six weeks, and initial symptoms such as fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, fever, and poor appetite appear, but the spread speed is fast because it is often asymptomatic.

The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said a total of 2097 infections were reported in the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Slovakia between January and May this year. It is occurring mainly in unvaccinated adults, homeless people, drug users, and people with poor sanitary conditions.

The ECDC and the British government’s official travel health advice service Travel Health Pro recommended ▲ pre-export vaccination ▲ handwashing with soap and water after using the bathroom and before eating ▲ avoiding raw and undercooked seafood such as raw salad, unpeeled fruits and vegetables, ice, unrefined water, and raw oysters ▲ refraining from street foods with uncertain hygiene.

In the UK, the hepatitis A vaccine is only provided through the NHS to high-risk groups such as male sexes, health care workers, and travelers to epidemic areas. Experts emphasized, “One dose a few weeks before departure has a high preventive effect, and if you get another dose six months later, you can maintain immunity for life.”