Hepatitis A is one of five human hepatitis viruses (hepatitis A,
B, C, D, and E) that primarily infect the liver and cause
illness. An estimated 80,000 cases occur each year in the U.S.,
although much higher estimates have been proposed based on
mathematical modeling of the past incidence of infection. Each
year, an estimated 100 persons die as a result of acute liver
failure in the U.S. due to hepatitis A, but the rate of
infection has dramatically decreased since the hepatitis A
vaccine was licensed and became available in the U.S. in 1995.
Hepatitis A is a communicable (or contagious) disease that
spreads from person-to-person. It is spread almost exclusively
through fecal-oral contact, generally from person-to-person, or
via contaminated food or water. Food contaminated with the virus
is the most common vehicle transmitting hepatitis A. The food
preparer or cook is the individual most often contaminating the
food, although he or she is generally not ill at the time of
food preparation. The peak time of in