Hepatitis A Virus Test

• Hepatitis A can be prevented by vaccination. For more information, see the topic Reference Immunizations.
• You also may be able to prevent a hepatitis A infection even after you have been exposed to the virus if you get a hepatitis A vaccination or a dose of Reference immunoglobulin Opens New Window. See the topic Reference Hepatitis A.
• Hepatitis antibodies can take weeks or months to develop, so your results may be negative even though you have the early stages of an infection (Reference false-negative Opens New Window).
• Other tests that show how well the liver is working are usually done if your doctor thinks you may have hepatitis. These tests can include measuring levels of bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase. For more information, see the topics Reference Bilirubin, Reference Alkaline Phosphatase, Reference Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT), and Reference Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST).
• Many states require that some types of hepatitis infections be reported to the local health department. The health department can then send out a warning to other people who may have been infected with the hepatitis virus, such as those who ate food served by a person who has the infection.
• Hepatitis A virus does not cause long-term illness, so there is no need for follow-up testing once the infection goes away.

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