Hepatitis A: prevention and treatment

How is hepatitis A prevented?

You can protect yourself from hepatitis A by getting vaccinated. Until you do, you might reduce the risk by:

• avoiding any sex involving contact with shit
• using condoms for fucking
• washing your hands after handling used condoms or dildos, or fingering someone
• using a latex barrier between the arse and mouth of you and the man you're rimming
• using latex gloves and water-based lube when fisting or fingering.

Vaccination

The first injection protects you for a year and then a second is given six months later to increase your protection to 10 years. After 10 years you might need a booster injection. There's a combined vaccine that covers both hepatitis A and B.

You might be given a blood test before you're vaccinated which shows if you've picked up the virus already. If you have, you're now immune and can't get hepatitis A again, so you don't need the vaccine.

Where to get vaccinated

Gay and bisexual men are at greater risk of hepatitis A, so a lot of genito urinary medicine (GUM) clinics offer free vaccination, but many don't. Ask around to find out which clinics offer it. If a clinic says no to giving you the vaccination, they may change their mind if you insist. Remind them that government guidelines state gay and bisexual men are at risk and should be vaccinated.

GPs can vaccinate people travelling to countries outside Europe where hepatitis A is a problem. Your GP may also give the vaccination if you say you're gay, but you might not want your doctor knowing this or putting it on your notes.

Vaccination and HIV

You can be safely vaccinated if you have HIV; in fact, it's recommended that people with HIV get vaccinated. Vaccines have a short-lived effect on your viral load, so tell the person vaccinating you that you have HIV and let the doctor treating your HIV know that you're being vaccinated.

How is hepatitis A treated?

The treatment for hepatitis A is plenty of rest, which can mean many weeks off sick. Your doctor will tell you to avoid drinking alcohol while your liver recovers: this may be for up to a year. You may not feel like smoking and will need to avoid party drugs.

A blood test can show when you've fully recovered.