Viral hepatitis. 2. Prevention and control.

Good personal hygiene is one of the most important measures for control of hepatitis infection. Hepatitis is transmitted by close contact with an infected person or nonhuman primate, exposure to infected food or water, transfusion of infected blood, dialysis, or contact with hepatitis-containing laboratory specimens. Each of these situations necessitates certain precautions to avoid contamination. In some instances, passive immunization with either immune serum globulin (ISG) or hepatitis B immune globulin (HBIG) is recommended. Vaccines now being tested for active immunization against hepatitis B will probably be available soon for use in persons at high risk, but development of a vaccine against hepatitis A seems unlikely in the near future.