Serve cooked food with clean plates and utensils. If eating out, send back any meat, poultry or fish product that does not appear thoroughly cooked. Follow rules of personal hygiene, especially after bathroom use or diapering of infants. Commonly, the virus is shed in the stools of someone infected with Hepatitis A, and in the process of defecating and wiping, the person acquires the virus on his hands. If the person does not properly wash his hands, the virus can be easily spread - through a handshake, for example.
Severe cases can cause liver damage and death.
Prevention Hepatitis A can best be prevented by avoiding raw shellfish and shellfish that may have been harvested in contaminated waters. Also, vigorous washing of hands after using the restroom is essential - especially by those who handle food. This disease is caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes . Before 1967, listeriosis was rare in humans, but recent outbreaks have increased awareness of the hazards to public health. Listeria is found in soil, decaying and dead vegetation and the intestinal tracts of more than 50 domestic and wild species of birds and animals, including sheep, cattle, chickens and swine.