WOODBURY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Health officials in Gloucester County have issued a warning after an uptick in recent cases of the hepatitis A virus.
How bad is it?
"Generally we would refer to this as a cluster," Director of Public Health Nursing Ditty Mae Jankauskas said. "So, in general, we normally see less than 10 cases of hepatitis A in a 12-month period, and in the last nine to 10 weeks, we've seen nine cases."
All the cases are unrelated.
The virus, which attacks the liver, is usually spread by food, drink or contact with an infected person and can result in fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, jaundice and loss of appetite.
"Hepatitis A is spread differently," Jankauskas added. "Whereas hepatitis B and C are blood-borne diseases, hepatitis A is spread person to person from swallowing a small amount of the virus."
Those who have contact with someone who has the virus should be vaccinated, along with the homeless and those who use street drugs among others. The shots are commonly available or can be obtained through the county health department.
