Read condition-specific symptoms and clinical context for Hepatitis A virus. A liver infection spread through contaminated food, water or close contact.
Hepatitis A virus inflames the liver. WHO describes spread mainly when someone swallows food or water contaminated with the faeces of an infected person, closely associated with unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene. Unlike hepatitis B and C it does not cause chronic liver disease, and almost everyone recovers fully with lifelong immunity.
CDC states that symptoms, when they appear, can begin any time between 2 and 7 weeks after exposure, and that adults are more likely than children to have symptoms. Most symptoms are gone within 2 months.
Possible symptoms: Yellow skin or eyes (jaundice); Dark urine or clay-coloured stools; Feeling tired; Fever; Loss of appetite; Nausea, stomach pain or vomiting; Joint pain.
CDC advises talking to a doctor right away after a suspected exposure, because hepatitis A vaccine or immune globulin can prevent illness if given within 2 weeks of exposure. WHO notes that hepatitis A sometimes relapses with a second acute episode.
Source check: 2026-09-19. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.