What is Hepatitis A?

Hepatitis A is a liver infection that is spread from the stool of an infected person to the mouth, either by hand to mouth, or by food or water contamination. The virus can survive for a long time at room temperature. It has about a 30 day incubation time and can be contagious two weeks before the symptoms appear. The typical spreading of Hepatitis A is from unsanitary practices and a lack of proper washing of hands. Hepatitis A is not typically fatal and normally clears up on its own and once you have had Hepatitis A you have a life long immunity to it. There is a vaccine for it, but it may not be lifelong and if the vaccine becomes ineffective later in life, then the risk of death increases, especially past the age of 50. Hepatitis A does not cause any permanent Kidney damage. Complete recovery requires about 3 to 6 months.

It can be spread in restaurants and day care centers, but it is less typical in America than in under developed countries. America typically sees about 100 cases of Hepatitis A per year, so it is quite rare when compared to the number of people in America and the fact that it is not typically fatal makes it a lesser concern especially to those questioning vaccinations. If you eat in restaurants you run an increased risk, but if you are traveling to lesser developed countries your risk rises considerably. In flooding areas like the Tsunami's a couple years ago, the water supplies and sewage become inter contaminated and the risk of many diseases including this one become a public concern.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A include Lethargy, nausea, lack of appetite, jaundice, dark Urine and light stools, losing weight without trying, pain on the right side of the belly (where your liver is), fever, and sore muscles. Children do not typically show symptoms but adults can become quite sick. About 1 in 1000 people who get Hepatitis A do get a serious infection of the liver that requires a liver transplant.

Additional Information:

My Hepatitis A vaccine ingredients article.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/06/27/hepatitis-a-part-one.aspx

http://www.hepfi.org/pdfs/info_a.pdf

http://www.webmd.com/hepatitis/hepa-guide/hepatitis-a-topic-overview

http://www.dhpe.org/infect/hepa.html

Disclaimer: This article, "What is Hepatitis A", is not intended to give medical advice. It is a call to educate yourself about disease and vaccines so that in making a decision where your child is concerned, you should take an active role in learning all you can from medical experts on both sides of the fence, then make an educated decision. we did not make an informed decision until one son got Leukemia and another developed Autism immediately after receiving his MMR vaccine. This has sent us on a quest to inform ourselves and others to seriously question what kind of toxic soups are being injected with the vaccines. Odds are if your child is injured by a vaccine, you have little or no recompense against the industry.