Hepatitis A virus infection: Is it an important hazard to public health?

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection usually spreads through the fecal-oral route. It is an acute, self-limiting disease with a mild course that is often silent in pediatric cases. However, this infection can be more severe and even fatal in older individuals. It usually has an uncomplicated course; however, complications such as cholestatic hepatitis, relapsing hepatitis, extrahepatic manifestations, or rarely, fulminant hepatitis and even death may occur. These complications are more prevalent in adults, especially those more than 40 years of age. Superimposed infection in patients with chronic liver disease, particularly hepatitis B or hepatitis C infection, may accentuate the disease course and cause acute liver failure (1).