In a press meet, Dr M R Lokeshwar, paediatric consultant and retired professor of paediatrics, Sion Hospital, informed that Hepatitis A is a common infectious disease, generally found in places with poor standards of hygiene and sanitation. It is more rampant during monsoon, and the sources of infection can be contaminated water or food. Therefore, people should avoid eating from outside and drink boiled water, he said.

Another way of preventing the infection is to take the anti-Hepatitis vaccine, according to Dr Lokeshwar. If a person has already been infected once in his life, he need not take the vaccine, since he is already protected against the virus, he said. But in cases where a person has not been infected, the vaccine can offer protection, he added.

However, at the moment, the vaccine is not provided free by thegovernment. It is up to the individual to decide whether to take the vaccine, he explained. A single dose costs Rs 1,000 and a minimum of two doses is required for full immunity against the virus, he said.

He explained that almost all children under 15 are susceptible to Hepatitis A, but in many cases, it goes unnoticed. If an adult falls prey to Hepatitis A, it leads to more complications, he said.

The death rate due to Hepatitis A, in children, is one per thousand, and 30 per thousand in adults, informed Dr Lokeshwar. Thus, the standards of sanitation are not high enough to prevent the disease in adulthood, he further stated.

In an adult, the symptoms of Hepatitis A include nausea and vomiting, yellowness of eyes, skin and urine, diorrhea, pale stools, fatigue, fever and lack of appetite. These symptoms may last from one to three months.