1961 – Hepatitis, infectious — 976

–976 USPHS Vital Statistics of the US 1961: Vol. II – Mortality, Part A Section 5 1964, p. 5-16.

Narrative Information

Mayo Clinic on Hepatitis A: “Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by the hepatitis A virus. The virus is one of several types of hepatitis viruses that cause inflammation and affect your liver’s ability to function. You’re most likely to get hepatitis A from contaminated food or water or from close contact with a person or object that’s infected. Mild cases of hepatitis A don’t require treatment. Most people who are infected recover completely with no permanent liver damage. Practicing good hygiene, including washing hands frequently, is one of the best ways to protect against hepatitis A. Vaccines are available for people most at risk…

Hepatitis A signs and symptoms typically don’t appear until you’ve had the virus for a few weeks. But not everyone with hepatitis A develops them. If you do, hepatitis signs and symptoms can include:
• Fatigue
• Sudden nausea and vomiting
• Abdominal pain or discomfort, especially on the upper right side beneath your lower ribs (by your liver)
• Clay-colored bowel movements
• Loss of appetite
• Low-grade fever
• Dark urine
• Joint pain
• Yellowing of the skin and the whites of your eyes (jaundice)
• Intense itching

“These symptoms may be relatively mild and go away in a few weeks. Sometimes, however, hepatitis A infection results in a severe illness that lasts several months….

“Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that infects liver cells and causes inflammation. The inflammation can affect how your liver works and cause other signs and symptoms of hepatitis A. The virus most commonly spreads when you eat or drink something contaminated with fecal matter, even just tiny amounts. It does not spread through sneezing or coughing.

“Here are some of the specific ways the hepatitis A virus can spread:

Eating food handled by someone with the virus who doesn’t thoroughly wash his or her hands after using the toilet.

Drinking contaminated water.

Eating raw shellfish from water polluted with sewage.

Being in close contact with a person who’s infected — even if that person has no signs or symptoms.
Having sex with someone who has the virus….”

(Mayo Clinic. Hepatitis A. Accessed 11-3-2018 at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-a/symptoms-causes/syc-20367007 )

NIH on Hepatitis (Viral): “Viral hepatitis is an infection that causes liver inflammation and damage. Inflammation is swelling that occurs when tissues of the body become injured or infected. Inflammation can damage organs. Researchers have discovered several different viruses that cause hepatitis, including hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.

“Hepatitis A and hepatitis E typically spread through contact with food or water that has been contaminated by an infected person’s stool….

“The hepatitis A and E viruses typically cause only acute, or short-term, infections. In an acute infection, your body is able to fight off the infection and the virus goes away.

Sources

Mayo Clinic. Hepatitis A. Accessed 11-3-2018 at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hepatitis-a/symptoms-causes/syc-20367007

National Institutes of Health. “What Is Viral Hepatitis?” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, May 2017. Accessed 10-11-2018 at: https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/liver-disease/viral-hepatitis/what-is-viral-hepatitis

Public Health Service, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Vital Statistics of The United States 1961, Volume II – Mortality, Part A. Washington, DC: U.S. GPO, 1964. Accessed 11-6-2022 at: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsus/VSUS_1961_2A.pdf