Hepatitis Cases In Lexington School
14 cases of hepatitis A in Lexington, Kentucky, have been confirmed. 4 of the people confirmed to have hepatitis A are students at Mary Todd Elementary. One student of Yates Elementary School's Early Start morning class also has hepatitis A. Because hepatitis A has a long incubation period--from 15 to 50 days--it will take time to see how widespread this outbreak is.
Schools have been link to several foodborne outbreaks in the past by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Often it is a food item that is not adequately cooked or contaminated. In this hepatitis A outbreak, which started in the school with a student (not a food handler), the likelihood is that the Hepatitis A was spread due to inadequate hand washing that left feces on the infected students hands. Any other person coming in contact with the infected person's feces could be infected.
This case is a reminder of the importance of teaching our children to wash their hands well after going to the bathroom and before and after eating. According to the CDC the correct way to wash one's hands is to do the following:
- First wet your hands and apply liquid or clean bar soap. Place the bar soap on a rack and allow it to drain.
- Next rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces.
- Continue for 10 - 15 seconds or about the length of a little tune. It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs.
- Rinse well and dry your hands.
Read more excellent information on handwashing provided by the CDC.