A recent outbreak of hepatitis A has authorities in a muddle. The New South Wales (NSW) health and food authorities are now investigating in Sydney. This comes after 12 cases of hepatitis A was confirmed in the past five weeks.
Normally, hepatitis A is contracted on the average of two locally acquired cases per year. However, ten of the 12 hepatitis A patients contracted the disease in Australia. Since hepatitis A is normally contracted in high-risk countries, this local outbreak is considerably higher than the norm.
NSW Health will be working alongside NSW Food Authority to investigate the outbreak, including assessment of patterns of food distribution and any links to overseas outbreaks. However, no specific food has been connected to the outbreak as of yet.
More On The Outbreak
Hepatitis A is a virus that spreads in contaminated food or through poor hygiene. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fever and yellowing of the skin, dark urine and pale stools. Moreover, the disease can cause infections and damage the liver.
Do you need to look out for these symptoms? What can you do to prevent your food from being unclean?
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