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Hepatitis E is an infection caused by the hepatitis E virus. It is most commonly spread by eating or drinking something (or putting something in your mouth, such as a utensil) that has been contaminated with the stool of a person infected with hepatitis E.

There is currently no approved hepatitis E vaccine (although several vaccines are currently being tested). Therefore, the best way to prevent hepatitis E is to practice good personal hygiene and avoid high-risk situations. This means avoiding tap water when traveling internationally and practicing good hygiene and sanitation.

Some other tips for effective prevention of hepatitis E include:

1.Eating cooked foods and fruits that you can peel, and avoiding vegetables or fruits that could have been washed with contaminated water, such as lettuce.

2.Avoiding raw or steamed shellfish, such as oysters, that live in contaminated waters.

3.Boiling water or drinking bottled water in areas where there is a risk of hepatitis E contamination. Also, do not use ice cubes or wash fruits and vegetables in tap water.

Most attempts to use blood serum containing hepatitis E antibody to prevent hepatitis in those exposed to HEV have failed. Hopefully, this approach can be made to work so that pregnant women living in endemic areas can be protected. No vaccine is available, though several are being tested. It also is possible that effective anti-viral drugs will be found. The best ways to prevent hepatitis E are to provide safe drinking water and take precautions to use sterilized water and beverages when traveling.

As almost all HEV infections are spread by the faecal-oral route, good personal hygiene, high quality standards for public water supplies and proper disposal of sanitary waste are the most important public health interventions in the prevention of hepatitis E. For travelers to highly endemic areas, the usual food and water hygiene precautions are recommended. These include avoiding drinking water and/or ice of unknown purity and eating uncooked shellfish, uncooked fruits or vegetables that are not peeled or prepared by the traveler.

Improving sanitation is the most important measure, which consists of proper treatment and disposal of human waste, higher standards for public water supplies, improved personal hygiene procedures and sanitary food preparation.

Thus, prevention strategies of this disease are similar to those of many others that plague developing nations, and they require large-scale international financing of water supply and water treatment projects.

A vaccine based on recombinant viral proteins has been developed and recently tested in a high-risk population (military personnel of a developing country).

The vaccine appeared to be effective and safe, but further studies are needed to assess the long-term protection and the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis E vaccination.

Improving sanitation is the most important measure, which consists of proper treatment and disposal of human waste, higher standards for public water supplies, improved personal hygiene procedures and sanitary food preparation. Thus, prevention strategies of this disease are similar to those of many others that plague developing nations, and they require large-scale international financing of water supply and water treatment projects. A vaccine based on recombinant viral proteins has been developed and recently tested in a high-risk population (military personnel of a developing country). The vaccine appeared to be effective and safe, but further studies are needed to assess the long-term protection and the cost-effectiveness of hepatitis E vaccination.