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

https://youtu.be/CBW1qN6C2U8