Yesterday we learned that the Bizkaia Territorial Health Directorate had detected since October 13 cases of Hepatitis A that have affected 11 children and two adult residents in Bermeo.
According to information from the World Health Organization, hepatitis A is 'a liver disease' caused by the HAV virus, which is transmitted when an uninfected (and unvaccinated) person eats or drinks something contaminated by feces of an infected person.
The virus can also be transmitted by close physical contact with an infected person, but it is not spread by occasional contacts.
Unlike hepatitis B and C, Hepatitis A does not cause chronic liver disease and is rarely fatal, but it can cause debilitating symptoms and fulminant hepatitis. (acute liver failure). It occurs sporadically and in epidemics throughout the world, it also tends to reappear periodically.
The incubation period for hepatitis A is usually about 14/28 days. Hepatitis A symptoms are moderate or severe and include fever, malaise, loss of appetite, diarrhea, nausea, abdominal discomfort, dark urine color and jaundice. Those infected do not always have all these symptoms.
Adults develop signs and symptoms more often than children, and the severity of the disease increases with age. Infected children under six do not usually have appreciable symptoms, and only 10% show jaundice. Among older children and adults, the infection usually causes more severe symptoms, with jaundice in more than 70% of cases.
Community outbreak control vaccination is most effective in small communities, when the campaign starts early and when high coverage is reached in several age groups. Vaccination activities should be complemented with health education aimed at improving sanitation, hygiene practices and food safety
As recommended in these cases, the authorities are going to vaccinate 1500 children from Bermeo (between one and seven years), in addition it has been advised to extreme hygienic measures to people in the family environment of those affected. Bath cleaning should be extreme, and insist on handwashing after defecation and before eating.
There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. Symptoms may subside slowly, over several weeks or months. The treatment pursues the patient's well-being and nutritional balance, including rehydration after vomiting and diarrhea..
In addition as prevention, the improvement of sanitation, food safety (in general terms, not in the case of Bermeo) and vaccination are the most effective measures to combat hepatitis A.
I am sure that Bermeo's parents are very worried, however once the outbreak is detected, the correct position is to attend to the information of the authorities, and be sure that being a disease that usually is not serious, it is matter of time.
