Germany urges travellers to Czechia to follow hygiene rules amid hepatitis A surge

Germany’s foreign ministry is urging travellers to Czechia to pay close attention to hygiene because of the ongoing hepatitis A outbreak. In updated travel advice, it recommends thorough handwashing and says vaccination against hepatitis A is advisable when visiting Czechia, although it is not mandatory.

Czechia is experiencing what health officials say is likely its largest hepatitis A outbreak in decades. By mid-November, more than 2,500 cases had been reported—four times more than in all of last year and the highest number since 1989. The last major nationwide outbreak was in 1979, when over 32,000 people fell ill.