Wiesbaden, Germany - Holidaymakers should be vaccinated against hepatitis A not only before long-distance journeys but also before Mediterranean cruises, the Wiesbaden-based Association of German Internists (BDI) advised. The BDI noted that hepatitis A, a viral infection of the liver, could spread rapidly aboard a cruise ship. A single injection of the vaccine shortly before departure gives adequate protection against the virus, producing a large number of antibodies within 14 days, it said. In Germany, many public health insurance companies cover the vaccination's cost.
Hepatitis E also occurs occasionally during cruises, but a vaccine is not yet available. Professor Thomas Loescher, director of the University of Munich's Department of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, said that hepatitis E was transmitted mainly by ingesting contaminated food and drink.
"The disease is characterised by yellowing of the skin and eyes" caused by bile pigments not being properly excreted as a result of liver malfunction, he said.
While hepatitis E normally clears, it can sometimes be fatal, Loescher warned. Expectant mothers in the second half of their pregnancy are especially at risk. Hepatitis E is common primarily in South and East Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Between January and March, several cases of hepatitis E were reported on the Aurora, a British cruise ship. "Since the period between a hepatitis-E infection and outbreak of the disease is about 60 days, more cases cannot be ruled out," Loescher said.
