An outbreak of hepatitis A virus associated with a multi-national inner-city nursery in Glasgow, Scotland

Abstract

This report describes an outbreak of hepatitis A virus linked to a nursery which affected a total of 10 individuals. Active case finding, using oral fluid testing, helped identify asymptomatic cases. Nucleotide sequencing showed that all cases were caused by the same virus, which was most similar to HAV strains circulating Zimbabwe. Interestingly, an asymptomatic child had recently returned from visiting family in that country. Standard infection control procedures and vaccination of contacts successfully contained the outbreak. Only one patient developed hepatitis A despite having been vaccinated a week before symptoms began. This hepatitis A outbreak scenario may become more common as the numbers of international travellers and immigrants increase in the UK. It highlights the importance of recommending HAV vaccination to foreign nationals and their families who are travelling to countries endemic for hepatitis A.

Keywords: Hepatitis A virus; Molecular epidemiology; Outbreak; Public health.