Six Children Have Been Infected
Christine Sloan
WCBS TV
(CBS) CRANFORD Brian Woo is a sixth-grader at the Orange Avenue School in Cranford, where health officials today confirmed a new case of Hepatitis A.
That brings the number of kids infected with the virus to six. So this 12-year-old isn’t taking any chances. “I’m really worried about getting it,” Woo said. “I wash my hands everyday, I put on Purell, all that stuff.”
“It is scary, I didn’t know there was a new case,” said Ursula Ansari, a parent who has a student in the school.

This is what health officials know so far. One of the kids doesn’t even go to the Orange Avenue School, he’s home-schooled.
But all of the other kids who’ve come down with the virus are in fifth grade, in three different classes. They don’t play the same sport…haven’t attended the same parties and all live in the Northeastern part of town.
Here’s what they’re telling us about the latest case. “Female, 11-years-old, fifth grade, one of those three classrooms,” said Warren Hehl, who is with the Cranford Health Department.
“Just concerned they don’t know the source yet, you know it’s a bit scary,” said Isabel Gray.
That’s what makes this so mysterious.
Health officials know you can get the virus by coming in contact with contaminated food or water but they haven’t been able to pinpoint a source inside the school. So now they’re looking outside. “Places where they play, some parks, or there may have been contamination…the root of transmission is the fecal oral roots,” Hehl said.
“I think if the kids are vaccinated, they should be fine,” said one parent.
“I think the school knows what they’re doing, the town knows what they’re doing and the health department hopefully knows what they’re doing,” said Brian Woo.
All of the students who previously got the virus are back at school, doing okay.
Health officials say in some cases patients may not show the symptoms. That’s why they will be back at school to interview teachers, custodians and food-handlers to try to get to the source of the illness.