We have received several calls about a worker at Henryville Elementary School who tested positive for Hepatitis A and the potential for transmission to their child/children. Hepatitis A characteristically is an acute, self-limited illness associated with fever, fatigue, jaundice, and nausea. Signs and symptoms typically last less than 2 months. The most common mode of transmission is person to person, resulting from fecal contamination and oral ingestion.
There is no need for your child to be seen by a physician or tested for the disease unless he/she becomes symptomatic. The incubation period for Hep A is 15 to 50 days, with an average of 28 days. The best prevention of transmission is good hygiene – thorough hand washing after diaper change or toileting and before handling food.
If your child has received all of the vaccines required to attend a public school in Indiana, they will have received Hepatitis A vaccine. No vaccine is 100% effective in all cases; however, much like the flu vaccine, the Hep A vaccine reduces the severity of and the duration of the symptoms of the illness.
