Prague battles Hepatitis A surge, pushes for vaccination
With cases surging in the Czech capital, authorities are leaning on European vaccine stockpiles and adopting flexible dosing
Prague is facing its worst Hepatitis A outbreak in decades. According to the city’s health authorities, 939 people have been infected since the start of the year, including 166 children. Eleven patients have died.
“We continue to work intensively and appeal to the public – keep your hands clean and consider vaccination,” the Prague Hygiene Station said in a statement on social media.
Cases in the Czech capital now account for about 40 per cent of all infections in the country. Compared with 37 cases recorded in Prague last year, the number has multiplied twenty-five times.
The virus has spread especially among socially disadvantaged groups.
Interest in vaccination doubled
As the Czech News Agency reported, the interest in vaccination is almost double compared to 2024. Emergency shipments have already arrived in Czechia, with more expected to come. The State Institute for Drug Control noted that procurement requests are placed long in advance, and the sudden spike in demand quickly drained available stocks.
“Given the exceptionally high demand for vaccination against viral Hepatitis A, the health ministry is trying to obtain additional vaccines for the Czech Republic from other EU countries,” Czech leading epidemiologist Rastislav Maďar informed on X.
To ease demand, he said people who have already had the first shot can wait longer for the second, until December or even into 2026, depending on the vaccine, without losing protection.
That flexibility is central to the current strategy. By extending intervals between first and second doses, authorities can protect more people now while new supplies flow in from elsewhere in the EU. The Czech authorities also launched a campaign to raise awareness about the Hepatitis A outbreak and available vaccination.
By mid-October, more than 112,000 people had been immunised nationwide, twice last year’s figure. Vaccination against Hepatitis A is self-paid in the country, typically costing €80 for the two-dose course, with partial reimbursement available from health insurers.
[VA, BM]
