Overview

• From January to May 2025, the ECDC logged 2,097 hepatitis A cases across four Central European countries, extending an outbreak that began in Slovakia in late 2022.
• Health authorities have confirmed nine fatalities related to the virus, including three in Austria and six in the Czech Republic.
• Two genetically similar hepatitis A virus strains are driving cross-border spread among socially connected groups.
• The virus disproportionately impacts adults in precarious living situations, notably those without stable housing, individuals who use drugs and Roma community members.
• Germany has reported three isolated infections, all linked to drug use, with no signs of sustained transmission on its territory.