Hepatitis with an infective outbreaks to thousands of travelers in popular destinations

An increase in viral infections has ill to thousands of travelers and has caused several deaths in some popular European destinations.

Four countries, Austria, Checia, Hungary and Slovakia, have reported an increase in cases of hepatitis A between January and May 2025, according to a rapid risk assessment issued by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

In total, 2,097 cases have been informed in the four countries.

What is hepatitis?

Slovakia, who has been dealing with an active outbreak since 2022, represents 880 of those cases. Cecia is the next most affected country, which reports 600 cases and six deaths, ECDC declared. Hungary has reported 530 cases in 2025, and Austria reported 87.

Hepatitis A is a “acute viral liver disease” caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV), according to the agency.

The disease extends mainly through contaminated food or water, or by close contact with infected people.

Dr. Marc Siegel, a senior medical analyst at News, said that hepatitis A is a “widely transmissible” disease that easily spreads among food manipulators and “can get very sick.”

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People who have not received the hepatitis A or have been infected by the virus are susceptible, the agency said. Vaccines are administered in two doses, six to 12 months apart, according to Siegel.

“People will have immunity for life after infection,” said the doctor. “A doctor can verify his titles (levels of blood antibodies) to document that you are immune to previous vaccination.”

The groups most affected by infections include homeless people, use or inject recreational drugs or live in unhealthy conditions, as well as those with limited access to medical care.

“Within these groups, the risk of the disease is evaluated as moderate for those children under 40 years and high for adults 40 years or older, as the severity of the disease increases with age,” said the ECDC.

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“For people with predisposing liver disease or older adults, the risk can be very high. The risk of the broader population in these countries is evaluated from low to moderate.”

Those who are immunosuppressed also have a higher risk, the alert said.

Not everyone will develop symptoms, but those who do can notice the following common effects, according to the US disease control and prevention centers. (CDC).

• Dark urine or clay stools
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea, stomach pain or vomiting
• Yellow skin (jaundice)

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“This outbreak reminds us that hepatitis A can cause serious diseases and death, especially among people with limited access to medical care and basic hygiene,” said Ole Heuer, head of the ECDC Health Unit, in a press release.

“We need to strengthen dissemination, provide access to vaccination in groups more likely to be exposed and guarantee basic sanitation, especially in response to the increase in cases.”

To address the outbreak, ECDC recommends investigating potential means of transmission of hepatitis A, as “possible transmission transmitted by food or spills in other groups with a higher risk of infection.”

The agency also requires specific vaccination programs, “prophylaxis after exposure” to close contacts to prevent infection and more genetic tests of the virus, as well as greater education and awareness among high -risk groups.

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According to CDC, receiving the hepatitis A or immunoblobulin vaccine (antibodies containing medications) within two weeks after exposure can prevent diseases.