Hepatitis A Outbreak Hits School Health District Offers Shots; Source Of Illness A Mystery

The spread of hepatitis A at Northside Elementary School has stumped health officials here.

One case of the virus, which causes severe flulike symptoms, was confirmed at the school last month. Since then, another 11 cases have cropped up, all of them linked to the school.

“The school has been real good about trying to prevent the spread of it with food handling and handwashing techniques. We also treated all those who came in contact with the confirmed cases,” said Panhandle Health District nurse Brenda Swenson. “But more cases keep mysteriously appearing, and we are not sure what is causing it.”

So far, five students and one teacher at the school have been diagnosed with hepatitis A. The other six cases involve relatives or parents of children at the school.

Since the source of the virus is still unknown, health officials decided to offer immunizations to the nearly 300 students and teachers at the school. The shots can prevent them from getting the virus or reduce the severity of the symptoms if they already have contracted it, Swenson said.

Northside Principal John Rorke said more than 60 students and teachers received shots Tuesday. Immunizations will be offered again today from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the school. Parents must accompany their children for the shots, Rorke said.

The virus is spread by fecal-oral contact, which typically occurs when people use the bathroom and don’t wash their hands. They then can transfer the virus to foods they prepare or share with others, Swenson said.

“We are telling people to wash their hands with soap and water and not share utensils, food or even cigarettes,” she said.

After the first student at Northside was diagnosed with hepatitis A, Rorke said, the school stopped having students help serve hot lunches. But that didn’t stop the spread of the virus, and Swenson said no food workers have been diagnosed with hepatitis.

“We are still trying to find the connection,” she said. “In the meantime, we hope to stop the spread of the virus with an aggressive immunization program.”

Symptoms of hepatitis A include yellowing of the skin or eyes, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and fatigue.

, DataTimes