Hepatitis A - Prevention

Prevention

For information about the vaccine, its properties, and its application, see Hepatitis A vaccine.

Hepatitis A can be prevented by vaccination, good hygiene and sanitation.

The vaccine protects against HAV in more than 95% of cases for longer than 20 years. It contains inactivated hepatitis A virus providing active immunity against a future infection. In the USA the vaccine was first phased in 1996 for children in high-risk areas, and in 1999 it was spread to areas with elevating levels of infection.

The vaccine is given by injection. An initial dose provides protection starting two to four weeks after vaccination; the second booster dose, given six to twelve months later, provides protection for over twenty years.