April 2005

By Jill Ricker
Friday, April 15, 2005
LYNN – Two students at the Harrington Elementary School have contracted hepatitis A, but they are no longer contagious, Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Kostan said Thursday.
“We had been notified that a couple of kids who lived in the same house were identified as being diagnosed with hepatitis A,” he said. “By the time we were notified, the contagious period had closed. We got the state Department of Public Health involved. Right away we called them and we really have to follow their lead – we’re just educators, they’re the experts.”
Hepatitis A is a virus that makes your liver swell and stops it from fighting infections, stopping bleeding and removing drugs and other poisons from the blood. It is diagnosed by a blood test.
The virus is found primarily in feces and is spread when contaminated hands, food, or water reach the mouth and the virus is swallowed. Symptoms of the virus are described as flu-like and the virus usually goes away on its own after a few weeks.Continue Reading Students contract hepatitis

April 13, 2005
CAMPBELL COUNTY (WATE) — The Regional Health Department says Wednesday that it’s investigating five confirmed cases of hepatitis A in Campbell County. There are three other people who have suspected cases.
Of the confirmed cases, three of the five people are being treated at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Campbell County.
Health officials are working on a plan to identify people who may have been exposed to hepatitis A and get them vaccinated.
Each person diagnosed with Hepatitis A has been asked to fill out a form with a series of questions designed to show health workers if there’s a connection between the cases.
The symptoms of hepatitis A include abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea and diarrhea. People with the virus usually experience extreme fatigue, to the point where they don’t want to get out of bed, along with a high fever.Continue Reading Hepatitis cases being investigated in Campbell Co.