Hepatitis A: 36 Deaths Recorded in the Czech Republic Last Year
Most of those who died suffered from chronic liver disease or led a risky lifestyle, for example through drug or alcohol use
After a significant decline in hepatitis A cases towards the end of last year, Czech authorities have recently reported rising infection numbers again. Experts attribute these fluctuations, among other factors, to the Christmas holidays.
Last year, 36 people in the Czech Republic died from hepatitis A, compared with just two deaths in 2024. According to the State Health Institute (SZÚ), the number of new infections slowed towards the end of the year. In the last full calendar week of 2025, 38 cases were reported, rising again to 79 in the following week. Experts attribute these fluctuations, among other factors, to the Christmas holidays.
However, experts expect the hepatitis A epidemic to subside overall this year. The disease primarily spreads among people who have not previously had hepatitis or are unvaccinated – especially among those under 65 who did not experience the last major epidemic.
Of last year’s deaths, 30 were men and six were women aged between 35 and 82. Most of those who died suffered from chronic liver disease or led a risky lifestyle, for example through drug or alcohol use.
Hepatitis A in the Czech Republic
Until the mid-1960s, hepatitis epidemics occurred almost annually in what was then Czechoslovakia. Only afterwards did a gradual improvement in hygiene conditions begin – particularly through better access to clean drinking water and the expansion of sewer systems.
Since the second half of the 1960s, the long-term trend of hepatitis A cases in the Czech Republic has been overall downward. A notable exception was 1979, when a large-scale, food-borne epidemic broke out. More than 32,000 cases were registered at that time.
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Authorities Continue to Urge Increased Hygiene
As the virus is primarily transmitted through poor hand hygiene, authorities and doctors continue to call on the public to exercise increased caution. Regular handwashing with water and soap remains the simplest and most important protection. The key is washing hands for the correct duration – at least ten to twenty seconds – and ideally following up with disinfection.
The symptoms of hepatitis A initially resemble influenza: fever, loss of appetite, nausea and pain in the upper right abdomen. Later, jaundice of the skin and eyes, dark urine, pale stools, and sometimes severe itching may occur – typical signs of liver inflammation.
