![]() Anything that contacts the fecal residue of an infected person can transmit hepatitis A virus. If an infected person doesn’t wash his/her hands well, especially after toileting, invisible amounts of the virus can spread from the hands of that person to other objects, surfaces, and foods. The hepatitis A virus is found in the feces of infected persons for weeks, starting before the person feels sick and lasting until after the person feels better. ![]() Hepatitis A gets into the body through the mouth after a person touches an object, food, or drink that is contaminated with the virus. Person-to-person transmission through close contact is the primary way people get hepatitis A. ![]() Hepatitis A does not persist in the body once an infected person recovers, like hepatitis B and hepatitis C can. Not everyone experiences any or all of these symptoms. Although most cases in children are mild or without symptoms, adults with hepatitis A usually develop an illness with symptoms that can be serious and at times leads to death from liver failure.Ĭommon symptoms include tiredness, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, low-grade fever, clay-colored bowel movements and dark urine, joint pain and yellow discoloration of the whites of the eyes and skin (jaundice). Hepatitis A is a liver disease in which the symptoms can range from mild to very serious, and it can last from several weeks to several months. Recently, there has been concern that people in the food service industry may have been exposed to hepatitis A, which can present a risk to restaurant customers. Some of the people who got sick have been neither homeless nor using drugs. The majority of people who have contracted hepatitis A in San Diego are living homeless and/or are known to use illicit drugs. While hepatitis A is not an uncommon illness, an outbreak of this size is unusual. Two-thirds of the ill people have had to be hospitalized, and unfortunately, at least 16 people have died. San Diego is experiencing a large outbreak that began last fall, and more than 400 people have gotten infected by mid-September of this year. ![]() Duchin, what is happening with hepatitis A in San Diego? Jeff Duchin, King County’s Health Officer, explains who’s at risk and what can be done to prevent an outbreak.ĭr. A large outbreak in San Diego, along with outbreaks in Los Angeles and in Salt Lake City has Public Health officials concerned that a hepatitis A outbreak could occur in King County. Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a highly contagious virus. ![]()
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