Number of hepatitis A infections in Hungary almost 10 times the 5-year average

The chart below clearly shows how exceptional the situation currently is.

The Epidemiology and Surveillance Centre, which is part of Semmelweis University, has recently pointed out that the number of HAV cases reported in Hungary significantly exceeded the five-year median value from week 48 of 2024 onwards. There was a temporary decline from mid-April to early July 2025, presumably corresponding to the seasonal low point of the disease in spring and early summer. However,

a continuous increase has been observed since the second half of the summer, which coincides with the usual peak of the disease in late summer and autumn.

According to experts at the centre, the seasonal pattern is the same as in previous endemic years, confirming that common transmission factors (e.g. food) do not determine the spread of the virus, which is driven by direct or indirect human contact. This is also supported by the ECDC report of 28 November.

However, according to the Surveillance Centre's Situation Assessment, time series regional data show that, as reported in the news, Budapest and Pest County were affected at the beginning of the year, while the spread of the virus accelerated in Borsod and Szabolcs counties in the second half of the year.

This shows that the outbreak affected the capital and Pest County. Despite the large population in these areas, measures were successful in slowing down the spread of the disease. However, in areas that had experienced endemic outbreaks in previous decades, such as Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén and Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg counties, where conditions are favourable for the disease to spread (e.g. low levels of drinking water and sewerage provision, poor hygiene practices, etc.), the disease spread more quickly in the second half of the year, in line with the usual seasonal pattern, as was also the case in previous years/decades.

22 of the 77 new hepatitis cases were registered in Budapest and in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén county each, with 7 found in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, 5 in Heves and 5 in Bács-Kiskun counties, while Pest county accounted for 4 cases.

Read more about the findings in the report, as well as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control's (ECDC) recent HAV update here: