Parents in Wales urged to ‘be vigilant’ about hand-washing amid hepatitis A outbreak

Health authorities have asked parents and carers to be “vigilant with their children’s hand-washing” after a hepatitis A outbreak in Barry, south Wales.

Public Health Wales said at least three households in the seaside town had been identified as having contracted the same liver infection, and there were worries it was spreading locally.

Patients were “receiving appropriate care and are recovering well”, and vaccinations had been offered to people who had been in close contact as a precaution, the health body said.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection mostly affecting the liver that is spread by faecal-oral contact and contaminated food and water. It can cause fever, jaundice, fatigue, abdominal pain and nausea, and takes two to six months to clear up, with no lasting adverse effects. People with the disease stay infectious for about a week after symptoms begin.

Most infections are linked to travel or food from countries where the disease is more common.

Public Health Wales has written to the families of primary school-age children in the town, urging good care with going to the toilet, changing nappies and before preparing or eating food.

Susan Mably, a consultant in health protection, said: “Some young children who are infected may not show any symptoms but can spread the infection to others, who can then become unwell. Parents and carers should help and remind young children to wash their hands properly.”

The UK records approximately 400 cases of hepatitis A a year, although numbers are increasing, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), with more than 800 recorded in 2024.

People who feel ill with symptoms such as fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea or jaundice should contact a GP or NHS 111, Public Health Wales said.

In 2019, Palmerston primary school in Barry was closed for deep cleaning after five reported hepatitis A cases. Last year, the UKHSA said at least 98 people had fallen ill and 58 were admitted to hospital owing to hepatitis A, believed to be linked to an unnamed contaminated supermarket product.