Hepatitis A: What Increases Your Risk

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What Increases Your Risk

People who practice certain behaviors or have certain jobs are at higher risk for hepatitis A. If you are a member of a high-risk group, you should receive the hepatitis A vaccine (What is a PDF document?) .

Risk factors for hepatitis A include:

• Eating food that has been prepared by someone who is infected with the hepatitis A virus and who has poor hygiene.
• Eating raw or undercooked shellfish (such as oysters or clams).
• Eating uncooked food (such as unpeeled fruits or vegetables) or drinking tap water or well water while traveling in countries where hepatitis A is common.
• Living in a community where hepatitis A is common and outbreaks occur (largely a risk factor for young children).
• Living in a household with someone who has hepatitis A.

Lifestyle factors that increase your risk for hepatitis A include:

• Traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common.
• Being a man who has sex with men.

Last updated:	September 09, 2008
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine, W. Thomas London, MD - Hepatology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC