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Medical Definition of Epidemic hepatitis
1. A virus disease with a short incubation period (usually 15 to 50 days), caused by hepatitis A virus, a member of the family Picornaviridae, often transmitted by faecal-oral route; may be inapparent, mild, severe, or occasionally fatal and occurs sporadically or in epidemics, commonly in school-age children and young adults; necrosis of periportal liver cells with lymphocytic and plasma cell infiltration is characteristic and jaundice is a common symptom. Synonym: epidemic hepatitis, hepatitis A, infectious hepatitis, MS-1 hepatitis, short incubation hepatitis, virus A hepatitis. (05 Mar 2000)