Which statement best describes how hepatitis A is transmitted?

• A. Transmitted through person-to-person contact via fecal contamination or oral ingestion or poor hygiene.
• B. Transmitted primarily through blood transfusions.
• C. Transmitted by air currents during coughing.
• D. Involves mosquitoes as a vector.

Answer: (A)

Hepatitis A is transmitted primarily through the fecal-oral route. The virus is shed in the stool of an infected person, and infection occurs when someone ingests material contaminated with that fecal matter—often via contaminated food or water or when proper hand hygiene isn’t practiced after using the bathroom. This is why outbreaks are common in settings with poor sanitation or when food handlers don’t wash their hands. It’s not spread through blood transfusions, not spread by coughing air currents, and not transmitted by mosquitoes, so those routes don’t apply to hepatitis A. Prevention centers on vaccination, thorough handwashing, safe food handling, and clean water.