By Samantha Baden
HEPATITIS A, the virus which has sparked a national meat products recall, will make sufferers sick for weeks but is unlikely to prove fatal, a health expert said today.
One of Australia’s largest meat producers, KR Castlemaine, today issued a nationwide recall of some of its products after an employee fell ill with the highly contagious condition.
Hepatitis A is a relatively commonly-reported, viral infection of the liver preventable through vaccination, Australian Hepatitis Council executive officer Helen Tyrrell said.

Symptoms of the virus, which include fever, weakness, fatigue, jaundice, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, can be debilitating, but most sufferers will recover completely, she said.
“It can result in you feeling quite ill for a period of four to six weeks,” Ms Tyrrell said.
She said she was unaware of any episodes of the disease causing death.
“However, any infection has the potential that people who may be suffering from pre-existing liver damage, be elderly or in poor health generally may have more severe symptoms.”
Unlike hepatitis C, which is a blood borne disease, or hepatitis B, which is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids, hepatitis A is mostly transmitted through contact with contaminated faeces which are carried to the mouth.
This can happen through swallowing food or water that has been in contact with infected faeces or when using the toilet and not properly washing hands afterwards, Ms Tyrrell said.
The virus is easily transmitted through person to person contact and food, liquids or eating utensils that have been handled by an infected person can transmit the virus.
While the symptoms of hepatitis A can be relieved to some extent with rest and a healthy diet, there is no medical treatment available for the condition, she said.
People who have close contact with someone who has hepatitis A should receive normal human immunoglobulin, a protein extract from blood or `antibody’, within two weeks of exposure.
Ms Tyrrell said it was not known how many people suffered from hepatitis A each year in Australia, but it was self-limiting and did not lead to chronic infection.
About 270,000 Australians suffer from hepatitis C, a virus that causes liver inflammation and liver disease and for which there is no vaccination, while 90,000 to 160,000 Australians have hepatitis B, a virus which can infect sufferers for life.
“Hepatitis A is a viral infection, it’s highly contagious, it’s preventable through vaccination and while symptoms can be debilitating the vast majority will make a recovery,” Ms Tyrrell said.