Hepatitis A, also known as dirty hands disease, is rising sharply across the country. Interestingly, the cause of the problem is not contaminated food or water, but failure to follow basic hygiene rules. According to experts, this problem mainly affects men.
According to the data of the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene, five people fell ill with typhoid by the end of November 2017. A year ago – two. 41 people developed bacterial dysentery (schigellosis). In 2016 – the 12th Staphylococcus infection was infected by 16 more people. Rotavirus was discovered in nearly 12 people more than a year ago.
Beware of hepatitis A
However, it is not these infections that are of greatest concern to researchers. For some time now, there has been a drastic increase in the number of cases of hepatitis A, i.e. the disease of dirty hands. By the end of November last year, only 33 cases were recorded. In the same period, in 2017, there were almost 3 patients. Interestingly, the upward trend is present throughout Europe.
Up to 95 percent infections are caused by the so-called fecal-oral. Drinking contaminated water or eating improperly prepared food may result in infection. It is also of great importance to stick to the basic rules of hygiene. We forget that washing your hands before eating, after leaving the toilet or after returning home is the best way to avoid not only hepatitis A, but also flu, for example. Only half of us follow these rules, and the biggest problem is the gentlemen who get sick the most. But it is not only the lack of proper hygiene that is behind the rise in disease rates.
– Our data shows that mostly young men between 20-40 years of age are ill. The increase in morbidity is more and more often a consequence of risky sexual diseases. We do not realize that through sexual intercourse, it is possible to get infected not only with AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases, but also with hepatitis A. The group of greatest risk is primarily homosexual men, who more often engage in risky sexual behavior. But not only, because anyone who engages in casual sex without adequate protection can get infected – Jan Bodnar, spokesman for the Chief Sanitary Inspectorate, says in an interview with Medonet.
Hepatitis A, what is it?
It is said that hepatitis A accounts for over half of all viral hepatitis. The symptoms of infection depend on the age of the patient. In toddlers under the age of 6, the infection is usually asymptomatic or very minimal. However, in older kids and adults in about 80 percent. Hepatitis A is symptomatic.
In adults, it most often causes pain in the joints, throat and abdomen. There are also nausea, vomiting, fever, weakness and diarrhea. Sometimes patients complain of itchy skin. Often the infection changes the color of urine and faeces.
In the case of hepatitis A, there is no need for special treatment with pharmacological agents (there is no preparation that accelerates the removal of the virus from our body) – usually a large amount of rest and an easily digestible diet are enough. The patient’s diet should contain a large amount of carbohydrates, a normal amount of protein and a reduced amount of fat. Hepatitis A usually goes away on its own after about 6 months. In addition, convalescent patients should avoid preparations that induce cholestasis and are metabolized in the liver. If the patient is accompanied by severe itching, cholestyramine can be used.