Hepatitis A outbreak in Prague stabilises, cases continue to fall

The hepatitis A outbreak in Prague has stabilised and the number of new cases is declining, the head of the Prague hygiene office Martina Marešová, said on Thursday, adding that the situation could return to normal during the summer months.

Last week, the number of newly reported cases fell below 20 for the first time since April last year. Since the beginning of January, health authorities have recorded 89 new infections in the Czech capital.

According to Marešová, the situation is still considered an epidemic. Health officials define a normal state as only a few cases per month, mostly linked to infections contracted abroad. Last year, hepatitis A affected 1,377 people in Prague, compared with just 37 cases the year before.