Holidaymakers jetting off to four popular European destinations could be at risk of deadly ‘dirty hands disease’, experts warn.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has identified a surge in hepatitis A infections sweeping through Europe, after nine people have been reported to have died from the virus this year.
Hepatitis A – which is caused by a virus spread via contaminated faeces making its way into food and drink – can be deadly, causing catastrophic liver failure.
Now health officials have confirmed 2,097 cases of the disease, across four popular holiday destinations including Austria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
According to a new ECDC report, Slovakia has been hit the hardest in terms of the sheer number of cases, with 880 confirmed in 2025 alone.
Cases in Austria have already topped last year’s figures, with 87 confirmed diagnoses including three deaths this year.
Hungary has so far reported 530 cases this year, mostly among adults.
But, the Czech Republic – with 600 cases – has reported the most deaths linked to the virus, with six fatalities following serious liver infections, with young children the most likely to fall victim.
Because the virus is spread through contact with faeces – giving it the name ‘dirty hand disease’ – children who don’t wash their hands properly before eating are more likely to contract it.
Hepatitis A has few noticeable symptoms in its early stages but if left untreated can lead to liver failure and even prove fatal.
Signs of the infection include a high temperature, flu-like symptoms – such as fatigue, headache and muscle pains – nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pale grey coloured faeces and itchy skin.
In more severe cases, an infected person’s skin and eyes may appear yellow – a condition known as jaundice and a serious sign the liver is struggling to function.
But the NHS warns that most children, and some adults, may have no symptoms indicating they are infected.
Dr Barbora Macková, chief hygienist and director of the Czech Republic’s state health institute, said: ‘In the current epidemiological situation, we recommend getting vaccinated before the start of holidays and vacations.’
The warning comes as the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is tracking a mystery spike in Hepatitis A infections in Britain, after 95 people developed a serious liver infection, with 58 so ill they needed to be hospitalised.
Officials have reported two separate clusters of the virus across the UK, with 53 cases having been reported since December 2024 alone in the latest wave.
Analysis of patient interviews has linked the outbreak to an unnamed specific food item purchased from an unnamed supermarket, which most patients reported consuming before falling ill.
No deaths in Britain linked to the outbreak have yet been reported.
Anyone who has not been vaccinated or previously infected is at a higher risk of catching Hepatitis A.
Patients diagnosed with the virus are advised not to drink alcohol, prepare food or drink for other people, have sex without a barrier method like a condom, or share needles with others until they are no longer infectious.
This is usually around seven days after initial symptoms start, for those who do not have jaundice.
Hepatitis A vaccines are not routinely given in the UK due to the generally low risk of getting the infection.
But the NHS does advise the jab for travellers heading to places where the virus is more common.
These include parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Central and South America.
Hepatitis A very rarely rare cause of death in the UK — between 2005 and 2021, only 42 deaths were recorded with the virus as an underlying cause.
