By DIANE CHUN
Sun medical writer
October 28. 2005

According to Alachua County's health director Tom Belcuore, the three students are from Orlando, but given the time frame in which they became ill, they probably contracted hepatitis on the UF campus.

"They all have spent time at UF, and over the past 10 days, we have been looking into additional connections," Belcuore said Thursday.

Hepatitis A is most commonly spread by close personal contact, including sex or sharing a household item. The incubation period after exposure ranges from 15 to 50 days.

Members of the university community, including students, faculty and staff, are being asked to watch for any symptoms and have them evaluated as soon as possible, said Dr. Phil Barkley, director of UF's Student Health Care Center.

Symptoms of hepatitis A, one of several forms of a virus that causes inflammation of the liver, include the sudden onset of fever, malaise, nausea, decreased appetite and abdominal discomfort, followed in several days by jaundice marked by yellow discoloration of the eyes and a darkening of the urine.

The hepatitis A virus rarely causes death, and symptoms are often mild. People who contract it sometimes exhibit no symptoms at all. About 22,700 cases of hepatitis A are reported annually in the United States, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hepatitis B is the more dangerous virus, and can cause chronic infection and sometimes death.

Barkley said the affected students, whose names are being withheld for privacy reasons, are in good condition. The two UF students live on campus, Barkley said.

Belcuore added that all three had visited either a private physician or the student infirmary, where the disease was diagnosed.

While there is no treatment beyond supportive care, anyone who has been in contact with a person who has the illness can receive an injection of immune globulin to prevent the disease if it is given within two weeks of exposure. Hepatitis A can be diagnosed with a blood test.

"If you have these symptoms, we ask you to seek medical care," Belcuore said.

Diane Chun can be reached at (352) 374-5041 or chund@gvillesun.com