An outbreak of hepatitis A on a hospital ward

An outbreak of hepatitis A has been recognised on a medical ward of a district general hospital. Eleven nurses and one patient were reported to have hepatitis over a period of 18 days in October, 1984. Specific tests for hepatitis A IgM were positive in all cases. Following extensive investigations, the outbreak was traced to a female patient who had recently returned from India and who was incontinent. Her serum, when tested subsequently, showed evidence of recent hepatitis A infection. The implications of this outbreak are discussed.