Thursday, July 19, 2007, 0:01 EDT (12:01 PM EDT) CDCHAN-00263-2007-07-19-ADV-N The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently received reports of hepatitis A in children and adults linked to adoptees from Ethiopia. Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. Symptoms usually occur abruptly and include fatigue, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes), and diarrhea. Jaundice is common in adults but rare in children. Most children under the age of 6 years do not get sick from the infection, but can spread it to older children and adults, who often become ill. Older persons and persons with chronic liver disease can have more serious illness. The overall mortality rate from hepatitis A is 0.3%, but it is 1.8% among persons aged >50 years. Symptoms generally last up to 2 months; there is no chronic (long-term) form of the disease.

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