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Incubation Period	From 15 to 60 days
Acute Illness	In adults aged 15-40, HEV causes severe hepatitis, but the body will usually fight off HEV naturally. Severity increases with age.
Chronic Infection	HEV does not lead to long-term hepatitis, and the virus does not cause liver damage or cancer of the liver.

Infection with HEV is much more common in adults than children.
It is regularly found in most developing countries.
The death rate from HEV in the general population of these countries is between 0.2 and 4.0%.
The death rate in pregnant women is much higher, between 15 and 25%
There are possible animal (zoonotic) reservoirs of HEV. These include pigs and rats.

Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), other general symptoms such as uneasiness, loss of appetite, pain in the stomach area, and inflamation of the liver.
HEV can be found in the fecal matter beginning around 1 week before the onset of illness, and continues for as long as 2 weeks after that.
Around 90% of children under the age of 10 infected with HEV who live in areas where the virus is regularly found show no symptoms.
Most individuals recover from HEV within 1 to 6 weeks.
More persistent cases of HEV usually resolve within 6 months without evidence of long-term HEV.

Exposure to water or food products contaminated with HEV (feces containing the virus)
Person-to-person (horizontal) transmission is uncommon
Mother-to-newborn child (vertical) transmission is likely
No evidence of transmission through sharing personal items contaminated with the virus
No evidence of transmission through sexual activities

Persons	Level of Risk
People who reside in subtropical areas (including South Asia, North Africa, and Central America)	High
People with a low social or economic status who are living in areas where the virus is regularly found	High
Patients on maintenance hemodialysis	Medium
People who inject drugs	Medium
Patients with markers for other viral bloodborne infections	Medium
People who travel to areas where the virus is regularly found	Low

There is no treatment for HEV
Hospitalization for people who are seriously ill in order to treat symptoms.
HEV is a illness that the body can usually fight off naturally. There is no accepted therapy, nor restrictions to diet or activity.

Because it is rarely seen in Canada, HEV is not a Notifiable Disease according to Canadian National Surveillance.

Reference: Bloodborne Pathogens Section, Blood Safety Surveillance and Health Care Acquired Infections Division, Health Canada, 2003