Hepatitis A is a liver infection that is spread by a virus in faeces (poo). It is spread mainly through contaminated food or poor hand-washing but can also be passed on easily through sex. During sex, it is mainly passed on:
- when licking skin, condoms or sex toys that have small amounts of faeces on them;
- during oral-anal sex (rimming);
- when giving oral sex after anal sex.
Gay and bisexual men with multiple partners are particularly at risk.
Avoid getting hepatitis A by:
- washing your hands after sex (ideally your buttocks, groin and penis too);
- changing condoms between anal and oral sex;
- using latex gloves for fisting;
- not sharing sex toys.
You should contact your GP if you have symptoms of hepatitis A or are concerned that you have been exposed.
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Symptoms
Symptoms of hepatitis A can appear up to eight weeks after exposure to the risk and include:
- Flu like symptoms
- Nausea
- Diarrhoea
- Tiredness
- Itchy skin
- Stomach pain
- Jaundice (your skin and the whites of your eyes are yellow)
Hepatitis A can be unpleasant, but it’s not usually serious and most people make a full recovery within a couple of months.
However, it can occasionally last for many months and, in rare cases, it can be life threatening if it causes liver failure.
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Vaccination
Vaccination against hepatitis A is available for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men through GUM clinics.
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Complications
Unlike other types of viral hepatitis, hepatitis A does not cause long-term liver damage, and it doesn’t become an ongoing (chronic) infection.
In rare cases, hepatitis A can cause a sudden (acute) loss of liver function, especially in older adults or people with chronic liver diseases.