Acute hepatitis A hit 9-year high in 2025CASES TOTAL 477: The CDC said only about 10% of people aged 21 to 40 have immunity against hepatitis A, while the rate is 40% among people aged 41 to 50By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThere were 477 acute hepatitis A cases reported last year, the most in nine years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The hepatitis A case total last year was the highest since 2017, comprising 447 locally acquired cases and 30 imported cases, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin presents data on acute hepatitis A at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “Unlike hepatitis B or C, acute hepatitis A primarily transmits through the fecal-oral route, meaning that people can become infected by ingesting contaminated food or having close personal contact with an infected person,” CDC Acute Infectious Diseases Division Director Yang Ching-hui (楊靖慧) said. People with pre-existing liver disease or chronic hepatitis who contract the disease have significantly increased risk of developing severe illness, including acute liver failure, but people who fully recover from an acute hepatitis A infection generally obtain lifelong immunity and do not become chronic carriers, she said.

Source: Taipei Times January 06, 2026 17:19 UTC