Abstract A Study of Hepatitis

Outbreaks of hepatitis in the urban districts and villages of Qingdao, China, were investigated over a two-year period to examine what affected the spread of hepatitis. A total of nine outbreaks were recognized, involving a total of 89 cases. Serological tests con-fumed that all nine outbreaks were caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). Eighty-five percent of the patients were between three and 13 years of age; the others were adults. The introduction and spread of hepatitis A into a site was related to unsanitary housing condi-tions, poor hygiene habits, and source patients who had not been diagnosed and isolated promptly. The ratio of symptomatic to asymptomatic cases was 0.38:l. Control of hepatitis A out-breaks requires prompt and exact diag-nosis of the source patients who need to be educated about washing their hands after they go to the toilet and befor