April 27, 2005
Letters have been sent out warning that as many as 1,200 Stockton-area students area may have been exposed to hepatitis A, a potentially fatal viral disease.
The letters were sent Friday and Monday after a cafeteria worker was diagnosed with the illness last Thursday. Students at Franklin High, King Elementary, Fillmore Elementary and Urbani Institute who ate cafeteria lunches between April 13 and April 15 are at risk of exposure. However, health officials say the risk of contracting the disease is quite low.
The letters, which were sent to parents and school staff by the Stockton Unified School District, offer immune globulin injections, which will protect against infection. Immune globulin is only effective if administered within 14 days of exposure.
The shots are available from the 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at the San Joaquin County Public Health offices at 1601 E. Hazelton Avenue in Stockton. The cost is $15.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include loss of appetite, fever, fatigue or run-down feeling, pain in the upper right abdomen, nausea and jaundice. Incubation time for the virus is from 15 to 50 days.
Although most patients recover without further complications, the disease can cause fatal liver damage if left untreated.
Information on hepatitis A from the Centers for Disease Control can be accessed by clicking on the link below.