Department of Environmental Protection issues hepatitis A alert for Santa Ana Education Center

The San Jose West Regional Administration of the Ministry of Public Education (MEP) issued a notice asking educational centers around Santa Ana to be vigilant about possible hepatitis A infections in the area.

Through a notification on October 11, teachers, administrators and parents were asked to follow the Ministry of Health’s recommendations to avoid infections in institutions.

Students must bring their own bottle of water, either bottled water or water boiled at home. Additionally, they are required to wash their hands after using the toilet and before eating.

If diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, yellowing of the skin, eyes or urine occur, it is recommended to go to the nearest medical center to rule out or confirm the disease.

According to health data, the combination has registered 1,435 cases of hepatitis A as of September 2023, a significant increase compared with the 118 cases detected in all of 2022.

As of the 39th epidemiological week of this year (September 24-30), San Jose Province has the highest cumulative number of laboratory-confirmed cases, with a total of 960 cases.

Alajuela ranks second with 167 confirmed cases, and Heredia ranks third with 94 confirmed cases. The province with the lowest number of infections at that time was Puntarenas.

this hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that attacks the liver. It occurs due to ingestion of water or food contaminated with feces. The routes of transmission are anus, hands and mouth.

The main symptoms of this disease include:

• Abdominal pain (63.2%)
• Nausea (58%)
• General malaise (47.2%)
• Vomiting (21%)
• Fever (15.8%)
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and under the eyes) (10.5%)
• Bileuria (the presence of bilirubin in the urine, causing the urine to become darker) (10.5%)
• Diarrhea (5.3%)