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Hepatitis A is a food and water borne disease and is widespread in Kenya. The virus, found in the intestine comes into the body through and food contaminated by sewage. Hepatitis A is common in Kenya and therefore vaccination should be taken as an important precautionary method.
The vaccine for Hepatitis A protects a person from the disease for 20 years and the side effects of this vaccination are only a few. The vaccine against Hepatitis A comprises Hepatitis A virus which is inactive. The first vaccination has its effect for 1 year and the second one which should be taken after 6-12 months protects the body for the next 20 years. The vaccine against Hepatitis A can be mixed with the one against Hepatitis B for further precaution against both the diseases.
A contamination of the body by the hepatitis A virus gives rise to symptoms like tiredness, jaundice and sometimes fever. Blood samples are used to detect Hepatitis A as antibodies against Hepatitis A are found in the blood. There is no specific treatment for the disease as no antiviral drugs are available. The only method of prevention is precaution through vaccination. One should be careful about the food and drink one consumes.
Another method of prevention against Hepatitis A is gammaglobulin. This is antibodies purified from human blood. But the safety of the usage of gammaglobulin as a preventive measure is in question because of this reason. But gammaglobulin should only be used where vaccines against Hepatitis A cannot be used. Vaccination is always a better option than gammaglobulin and the protection given by it is far superior and guaranteed than gammaglobulin.
Hepatitis A is a highly contactable disease and the whole of Kenya is a high risk zone. Every traveler visiting Kenya is advised to take precautionary measure against Hepatitis A.
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