Protection against hepatitis A
Men who have sex with men should be vaccinated against hepatitis A and B. This is recommended by the Robert Koch Institute. If you claim to have changing sexual partners, health insurance companies will cover the costs. You can ask your GP about the vaccinations.
If you have ever had hepatitis A or Hepatitis B you are protected from re-infection.
Transmission
Hepatitis A viruses are excreted via the intestine and ingested via the mouth.
Transfers are mainly made about contaminated food and drinking water (mainly on holiday), but also via contact and smear infection.
During sex, for example, you can quickly catch the pathogen when licking your arse or indirectly when your fingers move to your mouth after contact with your arsehole, a used condom or dildo, but also with a shared pot of lubricant.
Sources of risk for hepatitis A during sex
- Rimming/Ass licking
- Contact with used condoms and dildos
- Shared lubricant pots
Symptoms
A hepatitis infection often goes unnoticed or is not immediately recognised because sometimes there are no symptoms and in other cases the symptoms are often only mild and can be mistaken for flu:
These include mild fever, headaches and nausea, abdominal and joint pain and aversion to fatty foods and alcohol. More rarely, the skin and eyes turn yellow ("jaundice"), the urine becomes dark and the stools light in colour.
Hepatitis A always heals itself.
Treatment
There is no treatment for the hepatitis A virus. At best, the symptoms can be treated. After two to six weeks, the symptoms subside and from then on you are immune to this disease.
Also find out about Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
