FAIRFAX, Va. (WUSA) -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms almost four dozen cases of Hepatitis A in Virginia linked to contaminated frozen strawberries that were served at Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations. But the CDC believes more cases could be reported, due to the long incubation period for the highly contagious virus.
Chairman of the Department of Medicine at Inova Fairfax Hospital Dr. Zobair Younossi says after exposure, symptoms may not be present for up to six weeks.
"So most people may not have any symptoms, or they may have very mild symptoms of fever or sort of a cold or flu-ish type of symptoms. Some, of course when it becomes more severe then you turn yellow, you get more itching. Fatigue is one of the more acute symptoms of hepatitis of any kind and hepatitis A is of course one of them," says Dr. Younossi.
Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water after using the restroom can help prevent the spread of hepatitis A. There is also a safe and effective Hepatitis A vaccine, since 2006, children are required to get the vaccine at the age of one.
Dr. Younossi says, "Most cases of acute hepatitis A infections are not reported. So there is an underreporting because people don't know that they are sick."
The majority of people with Hepatitis A recover with mild discomfort, and older patients tend to have more symptoms. In rare cases, a patient can develop liver failure which may require a liver transplant.
