In the past weeks several cases of Hepatitis A reported in four communities have raised the alert of the health authorities in Costa Rica.
The cases were reported in the counties of Alajuelita, Los Yoses, Tibas and Goicoechea, all of them in San Jose.

The Ministry of Public Health has stated that all cases are under control and the patients have made a satisfactory recovery so far, however, they make a call for the population to increase the preventive measures. The authorities suspect that the patients could have all been exposed to food prepared or handled by someone that did not wash his/her hands properly, while the rest of the cases likely stem from those close to the initial group of infected patients.

Ten cases were confirmed up to last week and there were 8 more suspected patients, three more cases were reported this week, all of them teachers of a public school in Tibas.

A directive was given to the Ministry of Public Education to prevent the transmission of the virus through the adequate preparation of food.

The Hepatitis A virus is transmitted from person to person via the fecal-oral route, which is usually a result of bad hygiene habits especially inadequate hand washing techniques.

The Ministry of Health clarified, that Hepatitis A is a virus present worldwide and cases are reported every year in the country, however, it is not usual to have outbreaks in specific communities.

Tests were performed in the aqueducts of the communities affected and all of them came back negative.

Many cases of Hepatitis A can go by without exhibiting symptoms, but those patients that do get ill usually present the symptoms 15 to 50 days after exposure to the virus, and include sudden onset of fever, nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and jaundice. Cases can be mild or severe and the symptoms can persist for one or two weeks or extend for a longer period of time.

Preventive measures include: washing your hands thoroughly and frequently with soap and water, eat well cooked foods, avoid purchasing food sold in places with no sanitary permit, wash and peel fruits and vegetables.

Vaccines to prevent the Hepatits A virus are also available in the country, please consult your physician.