Hepatitis and Travel Abroad: A Case Report

Several distinct infections are grouped as hepatitis. Although they are similar in many ways, they differ in etiology and in some epidemiologic, immunologic, clinical and pathologic characteristics. As well, their prevention and control vary greatly. The case reported here is a patient who developed hepatitis during a visit to Pakistan, then a second infection upon return to the UK. Subsequent tests indicate that the first episode was probably due to hepatitis E virus (HEV), an enterically transmitted hepatitis virus which is common in developing countries where poor sanitation is common and which causes both epidemics and sporadic cases.1,2 On her return to the UK, the patient developed acute hepatitis B following the receipt of injections for her illness in Pakistan. We present this case to describe a patient who appeared to develop two sequential episodes of acute viral hepatitis associated with travel to Pakistan, and to highlight the risks of infection associated with administration of parenteral drugs while on prolonged visits to developing countries.