Volume 14, Number 1—January 2008
Dispatch
Hepatitis E in England and Wales
Hannah C. Lewis*, Sophie Boisson*, Samreen Ijaz*, Kirsten Hewitt*, Siew Lin Ngui*, Elizabeth Boxall†, Chong Gee Teo*, and Dilys Morgan*
Table
Main risk factors for cases of indigenous hepatitis E, England and Wales, 2005*
| Risk factor | Yes/ possibly | No |
|---|---|---|
| Residence | ||
| Coastal address (<20 miles from sea) | 15 | 13 |
| Urban area (>10,000 inhabitants) | 27 | 1 |
| Animal exposure | ||
| Occupation involving animal exposure | 1 | 27 |
| Own pets | 17 | 11 |
| Live on/visited a farm | 4 | 24 |
| Food preferences (i.e., likely to have consumed in the 9 weeks before onset of illness) | ||
| Pork | 22 | 5 |
| Raw/undercooked pork | 0 | 27 |
| Pig liver | 7 | 19 |
| Raw/undercooked pig liver | 0 | 26 |
| Venison | 0 | 25 |
| Chicken | 24 | 2 |
| Raw/undercooked chicken | 0 | 27 |
| Other meat (beef, lamb, turkey) | 18 | 8 |
| Raw/undercooked other meat | 4 | 21 |
| Fish | 18 | 9 |
| Shellfish | 5 | 22 |
| Food preparation | ||
| Handle raw meat for cooking | 13 | 15 |
| Wash fruits | 18 | 10 |
| Wash vegetables | 20 | 5 |
| Drinking water supply | ||
| Mains | 21 | 6 |
| Bottled water | 15 | 13 |
| River/stream or well | 2 | 26 |
| Recreational water exposure | 5 | 23 |
| Dinghy sailing | 2 | 25 |
| Fishing | 4 | 24 |
| Swimming (pool) | 1 | 26 |
*n = 28; some respondents did not answer all questions, so not all cells add up to 28.
