Czech Republic reports 450 hepatitis A cases in the first 4 months of 2025

During the first four months of this year, the Czech Republic has already had more cases of infectious hepatitis than in 2021 to 2023 combined. Hygienists recommend following basic precautions and encourage the vulnerable to get vaccinated.

At the end of March, the State Institute of Public Health (SZÚ) warned that cases of infectious jaundice were increasing significantly in the Czech Republic. In the first three months of this year, it recorded 320 cases, and by the end of April, there were 450 cases of viral hepatitis A. Six of them died of hepatitis A infection. In the whole of last year, hygienists recorded 636 cases and two deaths.

With hepatitis A, most cases, especially in children, are asymptomatic, and people are infectious for about half of the incubation period. The number of infected people is likely much higher, and every case is therefore a warning to epidemiologists.

Hepatitis A affects regions across the country: the most reported cases are in the Central Bohemian Region – 87, Moravian-Silesian Region – 83, and Prague – 73. “The number of susceptible individuals in the population is gradually increasing, i.e. those who have not yet encountered the disease or are not vaccinated. They are therefore more likely to become infected when coming into contact with an infected person or objects,” says Barbora Macková, director of the SZÚ.

"Due to the long incubation period, often asymptomatic course, and increasing non-compliance with prescribed anti-epidemic measures and basic hygiene habits, the infection has very good conditions for spreading," she notes.

According to the SZÚ, the disease is spreading not only among the child population but also among adolescents and young adults and among people with risky behavior, especially among drug addicts and homeless people. "It is very difficult to establish compliance with anti-epidemic measures for these people and contact tracing is especially problematic," outlines Martina Marešová, director of the anti-epidemic department of the Hygiene Station of the Capital City of Prague.

"That's why we delivered the vaccine to the Hope and Salvation Army centers, where workers are actively offering this protection to clients for free. These centers are also cooperating in contact tracing," he adds.

Currently, field workers in Prague are also being vaccinated, who come into close contact with people living on the streets and drug users, help them with temporary accommodation, or solve their health problems.

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"The incubation period of viral hepatitis A, i.e. the time from infection of a person to the development of symptoms of the disease, is 14 to 50 days, most often thirty days. The period of contagiousness begins in the second half of the incubation period, when the virus is already present in the stool, i.e. usually one to two weeks before the onset of the disease itself. Contagiousness then lasts one to two weeks after the onset of the disease," describes the spread of the disease by Kateřina Fabiánová, deputy head of the Department of Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases at the SZÚ.

According to her, the spread of this type of jaundice is most often through the feces of an infected person. This includes both direct transmission, from person to person, for example through dirty hands, and indirect transmission, through contaminated water or food and contaminated objects. "For example, we are talking about doorknobs, handles, handles, in short, places frequently touched by people," Fabiánová lists specific examples.

In most cases, the course of the disease in adulthood is more severe than in childhood, when it is usually asymptomatic and therefore spreads easily. About ten percent of patients experience complicated courses, and the disease and recovery then last for several months.

In very rare cases, a very severe course can occur, which can lead to liver failure and death. "The mortality rate is generally low (0.1 to 0.3 percent), but it can be higher (1.8 percent) in adults over fifty or people with underlying chronic liver disease," Fabiánová warns.

She warns that the negative trend of the rapid spread of hepatitis in the Czech Republic will not stop overnight. "Therefore, it is necessary for people to know about the risk so that they can start paying attention to prevention again. The basis is consistent hygiene, and vaccination is also available. Although this is not mandatory or covered in the Czech Republic, many health insurance companies contribute to it in their prevention programs. Its price is around seventeen hundred crowns for one vaccine, and two doses are recommended for long-term effect.

If the situation worsens locally and there is a risk of even greater spread of the disease, then hygienists can use targeted measures. "Regional hygiene stations can order emergency vaccinations as part of an investigation based on an assessment of the situation in their region. They are already using this tool, and if such vaccinations are carried out, then the vaccine is paid for by people," the chief hygienist reminds us of this tool of prevention in affected localities.