What it means
The virus that causes hepatitis A, an infection of the liver. It spreads by the fecal-oral route: contaminated food or water, or close contact with an infected person. It causes a short illness with tiredness, nausea, fever, dark urine and yellow skin, and it does not become a long-term infection. A two-dose vaccine prevents it.
For the nurse
Use standard precautions, adding contact precautions for clients in diapers or who are incontinent. Teach hand washing after toileting and before handling food, and offer the vaccine to those at risk.
At a glance
| Also written | hepatitis A virus |
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Related terms
hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver, most often caused by a virus.
contact precautions
Infection control steps, used on top of standard precautions, for germs that spread by touching the client or things around them.