Buy Cinability on DVD

Officials with the Central District Health Department has reported an increase in hepatitis A in the Boise, ID area.

Image/KDH
Image/KDH

Since the first of the year, six hepatitis A cases have been reported among Ada and Elmore County residents. Typically, 1-2 cases are reported in an entire calendar year.

All reported cases have been men between the ages of 30 and 60. Only one reported out-of-state travel during the most likely exposure period. No common risk factors for illness have been found.

Hepatitis A virus is typically spread person-to-person through fecal-oral transmission. Older children and adults usually develop jaundice, but young children are often asymptomatic. The average incubation period for hepatitis A is 28 days with a range of 15-50 days, and most cases are self-limited.

Plague: Idaho reports first confirmed human case in decades

Although routine vaccination for hepatitis A is always recommended for anyone who wants to prevent infection, exposed individuals will not benefit from prophylaxis unless the vaccine or immunoglobulin is given within 14 days of exposure.