NJ school warned about possible hepatitis A exposure

HAMILTON (Mercer) —Students at a Central Jersey high school may have been exposed to hepatitis A.

A letter was sent to parents of more than 1,300 students at Nottingham High School-North on Friday informing them of the potential exposure but the letter did not disclose the circumstances.

The letter pointed out that most children have already been vaccinated for hepatitis A and are not at risk. Children in need of the vaccination can be brought to the Hamilton Township Health Department for a shot.

A message for the state Department of Heath was not returned Saturday morning.

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver infection caused by a virus that is spread through ingestion by objects or food contaminated by undetectable amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill, according to the CDC.

Symptoms of Hepatitis A include

fever
fatigue
poor appetite
vomiting or abdominal discomfort
dark colored urine
clay colored (pale) stool
yellow discoloration to skin and whites of the eye (a condition known as jaundice)

Two cases of hepatitis A were reported at a Hamilton restaurant in 2014.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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