hepatitis A

noun

Definition of hepatitis A

: an acute usually benign hepatitis that is caused by a picornavirus (species Hepatitis A virus of the genus Hepatovirus), is marked by fatigue, fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, darkened urine, and jaundice but may be asymptomatic, especially in children, and is transmitted especially in food and water contaminated with infected fecal matter

Note: Unlike other forms of hepatitis, hepatitis A is a short-term illness that does not progress to a chronic condition and does not typically cause permanent liver damage.

— called also infectious hepatitis

Examples of hepatitis A in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Vaccinations may protect anyone exposed to hepatitis A within two weeks of contact. — Michael Bartiromo, Fox News, "Red Lobster employee in Arkansas tests positive for hepatitis A, health department confirms," 9 Aug. 2018 The state of Massachusetts has issued a public health alert over a rash of hepatitis A cases that have left one person dead and 64 others sickened since April. — Alexandria Hein, Fox News, "Hepatitis A outbreak in Massachusetts kills 1, sickens 64 others," 25 Sep. 2018 Which states are experiencing hepatitis A outbreaks? — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "Tennessee Is Just the Latest State to Report a Hepatitis A Outbreak. Here's What to Know," 30 May 2018 To be fair, Kentucky and Michigan, which borders Indiana to the north, are currently in the top five of states experiencing high rates of hepatitis A outbreaks. — Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier-Journal, "Indiana officials basically call Kentucky a third-world country," 19 Apr. 2018 Four states, including Kentucky, are experiencing hepatitis A outbreaks. — Shari Rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "Hepatitis A outbreak hits Southern Indiana with links to outbreak in Kentucky," 26 Mar. 2018 San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer launched the effort last September following an outbreak of hepatitis A, which is believed to have spread among vagrant communities. — Cliff Kapono, sandiegouniontribune.com, "City partners with private and public groups to clean up San Diego River," 11 July 2018 An outbreak of hepatitis A linked to frozen pomegranate seeds killed a 64-year-old woman in Australia. — Korin Miller, SELF, "A Woman Died From Hepatitis A After Eating Frozen Pomegranate Seeds That Were Linked to a Recall," 8 June 2018 There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A, as the illness normally resolves on its own. — Mark Lieber, CNN, "Australian woman's death linked to hepatitis from pomegranate seeds," 6 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hepatitis A.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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23 Apr 2019

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The first known use of hepatitis A was in 1972

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hepatitis A

noun

\ -ˈā

Medical Definition of hepatitis A

Note: Unlike other forms of hepatitis, hepatitis A is a short-term illness that does not progress to a chronic condition and does not typically cause permanent liver damage.

— called also infectious hepatitis

— see havrix