A female client who has just been diagnosed with hepatitis A asks, “How could I have gotten this disease?” What is the nurse’s best response?
A. “You may have eaten contaminated restaurant food.”
B. “You could have gotten it by using I.V. drugs.”
C. “You must have received an infected blood transfusion.”
D. “You probably got it by engaging in unprotected sex.”
Correct Answer: A. “You may have eaten contaminated restaurant food.”
Hepatitis A virus typically is transmitted by the oral-fecal route — commonly by consuming food contaminated by infected food handlers. The hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a common infectious etiology of acute hepatitis worldwide. HAV is most commonly transmitted through the oral-fecal route via exposure to contaminated food, water, or close physical contact with an infectious person. The virus isn’t transmitted by the I.V. route, blood transfusions, or unprotected sex.
Option B: Hepatitis B can be transmitted by I.V. drug use. In the United States, estimates are about 2.2 million people have chronic hepatitis B virus infection. It is transmitted parenterally and sexually when individuals come in contact with mucous membranes or body fluids of infected individuals.
Option C: Hepatitis B can be transmitted by blood transfusion. Transfusion of blood and blood products, injection drug use with shared needles, needlesticks, or wounds caused by other instruments in healthcare workers and hemodialysis are all examples of parenteral and percutaneous exposures, but parenteral mode remains the dominant mode of transmission both globally and in the United States.
Option D: Hepatitis C can be transmitted by unprotected sex. Transmission can be parenteral, perinatal, and sexual, with the most common mode being the sharing of contaminated needles among IV drug users. Also, other high-risk groups include people who require frequent blood transfusions and organ transplantation of organs from infected donors.
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