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Please my brother had Hepatitis A back in 1973, went to hospiltal and was cleared. Is he still infected with it and can he transmit it to coworkers

[Bill1954]

Hi Dave,

Hepatitis A is universally self-correcting; virtually all patients that contract it will clear the virus with their own immune systems within the first six months of exposure. Unfortunately, he will probably carry the antibodies for decades, if not for life. This will not be a health issue, and he should not be infectious or be subject to re-infection; exposure to HAV confers immunity in most cases. If he is concerned about this, tell him to request a Hep A titer to confirm antibody presence; while he’s at it, he might as well test for Hep B and C antibodies as well. We can be immunized for Hep A and Hep B; the immunization requires a series of three shots given over a period of approx. six months.

Here is some further reading from the CDC-

http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/a/faqa.htm

Take care,

Bill