Daily HealthBeat Tip

Hep A shots

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Now, every child should have a hepatitis A shot.

What’s that?

Well, hepatitis A is a liver disease. It’s caused by a virus that’s usually spread from one person to another, or through contaminated food and water. It can turn your skin yellow and make you sick for weeks, with stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea.

Kids are the most likely to get hep A. Typically, they get well by themselves -- but vaccination can help them avoid getting sick.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has seen how hep A has become less common in areas where vaccination was more common. So the CDC has a new recommendation. Dr. Annemarie Wasley:

"It is now recommended that all children should receive hepatitis A vaccine at one year of age. Vaccination should be integrated into the routine childhood vaccination schedule." (nine seconds)

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 8, 2006

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