Hepatitis E scare on cruise ship

According to the UK Health Protection Agency there was an outbreak of Hepatitis E involving four men who were amongst the 1,800 passengers on a world cruise between January 7th and March 28th this year.

The cruise vessel, which has not been named, had passengers from across the world on its list and the viral infection came to light while the ship was visiting Hong Kong on February 26th and 27th.

Hepatitis E is a viral infection which can be endemic in Central and Southeast Asia, and North and West Africa, as well as Mexico and develops as a result of consuming contaminated food or water. Its incubation period ranges two weeks to two months. Symptoms include fever, nausea, abdominal pain, dark urine, inability to eat and jaundice. To prevent infection, it is important to ensure good personal and food hygiene especially in congested places like cruise ships, and to make sure seafood, especially shellfish, is cooked thoroughly before consumption.