Families urged to vaccinate children against Hepatitis A as it spreads in town

Parents or carers of children who are five or under in the Barry area are being urged to take up the offer of Hepatitis A vaccines for their child.

An outbreak in the Vale of Glamorgan town has seen 11 confirmed cases since December 2025.

Public Health Wales said Hepatitis A is spreading in the community, but that no single source has been identified and that vaccinating children will help protect them, their families and the wider community.

Hepatitis A can be present in young children without any obvious symptoms.

The free vaccines will be offered at Barry Hospital between Tuesday, 18 August and Saturday, 22 August 2026.

Dr Chris Williams, a consultant epidemiologist at Public Health Wales said the vaccine is necessary to try to control the outbreak

"The easiest place for it to spread from is from with young children under the age of six and so if we can vaccinate that age group that will prevent the transmission from those children and stop the spread," he said.

Those eligible will receive a letter or text from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, inviting them to take up the offer of a vaccination.

The vaccine is being offered to children five or under who live in Barry or attend a childcare setting in the town.

Hepatitis A is a liver infection that is caused by a virus and spreads easily.

Symptoms include high temperature, flu-like symptoms such as tiredness, headache and muscle pains, feeling sick, stomach discomfort, dark urine, pale poo and yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin.

In some circumstances Williams said Hepatitis A can cause longer term problems.

"In children it's usually self-limiting and In adults it usually is as well but occasionally if it affects people with underlying problems, maybe underlying liver problems, it can cause a very severe illness and disability," he added.

Williams said parents and carers did not need to be concerned about the safety of the vaccine.

He added: "It's a very safe and effective vaccination.

"It's used across the world. It's a routine travel vaccination. Some places use it as part of their routine schedule. And we've already used it, on several hundred people in the Barry area to try and control the outbreak to date."