Hepatitis E
| OTHER NAMES | HEV (Hepatitis E Virus) |
| ORGANISM | Virus: hepatitis E |
| TRANSMISSION | Hepatitis E is transmitted through eating or drinking contaminated food or water supplies, poor personal hygiene, and person to person (uncommon). |
| INCUBATION | Fifteen to sixty days |
| TYPICAL SYMPTOMS | May have no symptoms (especially young children). Some persons have mild flu-like symptoms, dark urine, light stools, jaundice, fatigue, and fever. |
| DIAGNOSIS | Blood test. |
| TREATMENT | There is currently no treatment for hepatitis E. |
| PREVENTION | To prevent transmission of the hepatitis E virus avoid consuming potentially contaminated water or food. |
| DANGER | Mortality (death rate) of those infected with hepatitis E is 1-2% although in pregnant women it approaches 20%. |
| COMMENTS | Occurrence of hepatitis E in the U.S. is very rare and is mostly associated with U.S. residents who travel to developing countries. |
DSHS Publication Number 13-11896