Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service Public Health is dealing with a confirmed case of hepatitis A in a patient who lives in Gympie and works at the Returned and Services League (RSL) in Gympie Australia.
Sunshine Coast Public Health is working closely with RSL management and contacting all known contacts of the case who are potentially contagious and at high risk of developing hepatitis A.
Those who have attended Gympie RSL since July 2023 are urged to monitor their and their family’s health and to seek testing from their GP if they develop symptoms of hepatitis A.
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Hepatitis A is an acute viral infection that can be spread from person to person via the fecal-oral route (an infected person’s feces contaminates something put into another person’s mouth).
Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, stomach pain, body aches, nausea, loss of appetite, and abdominal discomfort. Dark urine is usually the first specific symptom of acute hepatitis A, followed a day or two later by jaundice (yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes) and pale stools.
The time between a person’s exposure to the virus and the onset of symptoms averages 4 weeks, with a range of 2 to 7 weeks.
The best ways to prevent the spread of hepatitis A are:
- Good hygiene and high hand washing standards.
- Not going to work or daycare when sick
- Get vaccinated against hepatitis A.
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If you or your child develop any symptoms of hepatitis A, please go to your GP or Gympie A&E.