Tuesday, May 31, 2005
School warns parents in letters
By Michael Woyton
Poughkeepsie Journal
AMENIA — A Webutuck Elementary School student has been diagnosed with hepatitis A.
Superintendent Richard Johns said he received confirmation Thursday the fourth-grader had contracted the virus.
The child, who Johns would not identify, had become ill at school Monday and was hospitalized. She is a student in Mary Murphy’s class.
The child is recovering, said Dr. Janice Weinstein, clinical physician with the Dutchess County Department of Health.

“We are working closely with the school,” she said. “They’ve followed everything appropriately.”
Johns said parents were informed by letter Tuesday of the possibility of the illness. A second letter went out Thursday confirming the diagnosis.
“There are some pretty telltale symptoms for hepatitis A,” Johns said, “and we want to make sure people know, particularly the young ones who might have come into contact with her.”
Many symptoms
Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, lethargy and jaundice, Weinstein said.
“It could be any degree of severity,” she said. “The period of infectiousness is generally one week before and one week after the onset of jaundice,” which is yellowing of the whites of the eyes.
She did caution not everyone develops jaundice.
Parents of students who came into direct contact with the child should get in touch with their family physicians, she said.
“Sitting next to a person in class is not an exposure,” Weinstein said. “It’s not that kind of communicability.”
She said the main means of transmission is the fecal-oral route, or putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with human stool.
“One of the strongest recommendations we have is hand washing after you go to the bathroom,” Weinstein said, or if you are changing the diaper of a sick child. If you are sick, you shouldn’t prepare food for others.
There is no treatment for hepatitis A.
“There is supportive therapy — replacing fluids and electrolytes,” she said.
A child or food service worker who has been ill can return to school 2 1/2 weeks after the onset of symptoms.
Michael Woyton can be reached at mwoyton@poughkeepsiejournal.com