Red alarm level: Hepatitis A & whooping cough spread out in Austria!

Red alarm level: Hepatitis A & whooping cough spread out in Austria!

The health situation in Austria shows a worrying increase in certain diseases, in particular from hepatitis A. according to [5min.at] (https://www.5min.at/52025051611135/diese diseases-in-oesterreich-am-vormarsch/) 58 cases of hepatitis A were already registered, which compared to the whole Last year, in which 74 cases were reported, a significant increase. The people concerned are mainly men between the ages of 25 and 44. The Hepatitis-A virus (HAV) is one of the main causes of acute viral hepatitis worldwide, and in Austria the first outbreaks are shown to be examined by the agency for health and nutritional security (AGES) since April 15, 2025.

The virus is transmitted primarily through faecal-oral contacts, close contact, sexual contacts, especially in men who have sex with men, as well as contaminated food or water. The symptoms include fever, jaundice, loss of appetite and abdominal pain. The HAV is highly resistant to environmental influences and thereby favors the transfer in areas with poor hygiene. The diagnosis is made by the detection of HAV-specific antibodies in the blood, with the detection of anti-HAV-IGM shows a fresh infection.

course and causes of hepatitis a

A particularly critical period of time for infectiousity is the second half of the incubation period, in which those affected are often still asymptomatic, which makes it difficult to spread the virus. Nevertheless, most patients are no longer infectious after the first week with jaundice. The AGEs also found that in 20 of the cases the same virus type, genotype IB, was identified, which indicates possible infection chains. Vaccination against hepatitis A is recommended in particular for travelers as well as for people in social professions and gastronomy.

In connection with hepatitis A, hamster purchases of vaccines are repeatedly reported, which indicates an increased demand. In many cases, these are high -risk groups like men who have sex with men or drug users who are often affected by poor hygienic conditions.

The whooping cough phenomenon

In addition to hepatitis A, there is an alarming increase in whooping cough in Austria. While only 2,791 cases were reported in 2023, the figures rose to a new high of 15,465 cases in 2024. By May 13, 2025, 1,101 cases have already been registered, which corresponds to about a third of the number of cases of the previous year during this period. This disease is particularly affected. Vaccination is strongly recommended in the last third of pregnancy to ensure the protection of newborns.

The Ages also examines the tick activity this year after over 1,800 tick samples were analyzed. An increase in tick activity is determined due to increasing temperatures, which in combination with the other health challenges raises additional concerns.

The current developments in the health situation underline the need for preventive measures and vaccination strategies to reduce outbreaks and the risk of severe courses. The trend can only be stopped by intensive information and prevention.