A student at Royal Oak High School has been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to the school district.
- Hepatitis A: Who's at risk and how it's spread, according to health officials
- Hepatitis vaccines urged for travelers to Kentucky, Michigan
The school's principal, Michael Giromini, sent out a letter to parents letting them know about the diagnosis.
It comes just a few days after Indiana health officials are advising people traveling to Michigan or Kentucky to get vaccinated for hepatitis A after a recent number of cases.
So far, there has been a significant number across metro Detroit, mostly with restaurant workers.
Hepatitis A can be spread when:
- An infected person does not wash his/her hands properly after going to the bathroom and then touches objects or food
- A caregiver does not properly wash his or her hands after changing diapers or cleaning up the stool of an infected person
- Someone engages in sexual activities with an infected person
- through contaminated food or water
The symptoms of Hepatitis A are:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Dark urine
- Grey-colored stools
- Joint pain
- Jaundice
The CDC says that symptoms are more likely to occur in adults than in children. Those symptoms usually last less than two months, although some people can be ill for as long as six months.
To protect yourself from the virus, the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services recommends:
- Getting vaccinated against hepatitis A
- Wash hands after using the restroom and before eating or preparing meals for yourself or others
- Use your own towels, toothbrushes, and eating utensils
- Do not have sex with someone who has HAV infection
- Do not share food, drinks, drugs, or smokes with other people
- If you think you may have hepatitis A, see your medical provider
- If you have hepatitis A, please cooperate with your local public health to help protect others
Visit www.cdc.gov/hepatitis or the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services for more information.
