Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A precautions
- How long
- Contact Precautions by age: under 3 years, the whole stay; 3–14 years, 2 weeks after symptom onset; over 14, 1 week after onset
- Most patients
- Standard Precautions
- Diapered or incontinent
- Contact + Standard Precautions
- Exposures
- Hepatitis A vaccine after exposure as recommended
- Hepatitis B and C
- Standard Precautions (see CDC hemodialysis recommendations)
What CDC’s table says
Verbatim from CDC’s Appendix A, with bibliography numbers removed.
Hepatitis, viral — Type A
StandardDuration—
Provide hepatitis A vaccine postexposure as recommended.
Hepatitis, viral — Type A-Diapered or incontinent patients
ContactStandardDuration—
Maintain Contact Precautions in infants and children <3 years of age for duration of hospitalization; for children 3-14 yrs. of age for 2 weeks after onset of symptoms; >14 yrs. of age for 1 week after onset of symptoms.
Hepatitis, viral — Type E
StandardDuration—
Use Contact Precautions for diapered or incontinent individuals for the duration of illness.
Test yourself: a CIC-style question
Which patients with hepatitis A need Contact Precautions in addition to Standard Precautions?
- All patients with hepatitis A
- Diapered or incontinent patients
- Only patients with jaundice
- None — Standard Precautions are always enough
Show answer
B. Diapered or incontinent patients
Hepatitis A spreads by the fecal-oral route. CDC adds Contact Precautions for diapered or incontinent patients, with a duration that depends on age.
Questions like this come up in the Preventing and Controlling the Transmission of Infectious Agents domain of the CIC® exam. The 654 questions in the app each come with a written explanation.
FAQ
- What precautions are needed for Hepatitis A?
- Standard; Contact + Standard for diapered or incontinent patients. Most patients: Standard Precautions. Diapered or incontinent: Contact + Standard Precautions. Exposures: Hepatitis A vaccine after exposure as recommended. Hepatitis B and C: Standard Precautions (see CDC hemodialysis recommendations).
- How long do Hepatitis A precautions last?
- Contact Precautions by age: under 3 years, the whole stay; 3–14 years, 2 weeks after symptom onset; over 14, 1 week after onset.
Sources
Checked against CDC on October 21, 2026. For education and CIC® exam preparation only — not a substitute for your facility’s infection prevention policies, your state or local health department, or clinical judgment. CBIC and CDC do not endorse this tool.