ABSTRACT
Our knowledge of the disease that was initially called infectious hepatitis has increased greatly since the 1950s when hepatitis A became reportable in the United States (1). Stud-ies in human volunteers showed that hepatitis A was transmitted primarily by the fecal-oral route, and distinguished this disease from serum hepatitis, or hepatitis B (2). However, it was not until after hepatitis A virus (HAV) was identified and diagnostic tests were developed that the full epidemiological spectrum of the disease was appreciated, and this has led to the development of an approach to its control and potential eradication.
