There is no specific antiviral treatment for a Hepatitis E infection; and while supportive care is indicated, it is unclear whether bed rest actually helps to speed recovery. The World Health Organization recommends maintaining adequate hydration and electrolyte repletion. Severe dehydration requiring hospitalization is rare. Pregnant women, however, are at an especially high risk, so particular care should be taken (A. Kumar 240).

Since there are no specific treatments, prevention of hepatitis E infection is essential. Unfortunately, no vaccines are currently available, and transferred immunoglobulin therapy does not appear to prevent infection. A few vaccines are in development, though the inability to grow and maintain HEV in cell cultures limits this process. A recombinant protein vaccine derived from ORF2 does not prevent infection in rhesus monkeys, but is able to minimize the symptoms of infection. Another alternative involving purified plasma DNA of the entire ORF2 sequence produced a humoral immune response that lasts more than a year in two groups of mice. Nonetheless, this potential vaccine must be developed further. Finally, some researchers suspect that the cross-reactive, swine strain of HEV might serve as an attenuated vaccine in humans (WHO “Hepatitis E”).

Until a vaccine is available, people should practice general preventative methods to combat fecal-oral transmission. Hand washing after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, or before preparing and eating food is critical. Since contaminated water sources often lead to epidemics, individuals in endemic areas should avoid water or ice of unknown purity, uncooked shellfish, and uncooked fruits and vegetables. On a more basic level, increased public sanitation prevents epidemics. A better, more specific diagnostic test will help identify and control outbreaks. Current strategy consists of detecting the source of infection and eliminating the contamination. Person to person transmission is uncommon, but diagnosing all those infected and taking extra precautions will nonetheless help limit the spread of the outbreak (WHO “Hepatitis E”).