Hepatitis A is a viral liver disease that is usually transmitted person-to-person through the fecal-oral route or from contaminated food or water. Symptoms include fatigue, low appetite, stomach pain, nausea, and jaundice.

There has been a rapid increase in the number of incidents and nearly 3/4ths of the those affected have been in their 30s/40s. This was concerning since those in that age range were typically more resilient against the disease.

The numbers increased to 3,597 as of April 28, 2019. In January and February, the numbers were at 429 and 589 respectively. The sharp increase came in March at 1,239 and 1,340 in April. At its current rate, it is set to beat 2017’s numbers which were considered to be the highest in recent years.

The health authority have issued an epidemiological investigation in order to find the cause for this increase. Since the disease has an incubation period of 50 days, it is difficult for them to know how and when a patient is infected. They have advised for people to get get vaccinated.