Nearly six months after a case of hepatitis A was identified in an employee at a local Starbucks, the Camden County Health Department will be administering the second dose of vaccines to the residents who were impacted at the regional clinic at 35 East Browning Road in Bellmawr.
Residents should receive their second dose at least six months after receiving their first. Appointments can be scheduled by calling the clinic at (856) 931-2700.
The Camden County Health Department undertook the largest hepatitis A vaccine effort in state history by vaccinating more than 800 people in November.
“If you were one of those residents who received a dose of the vaccine back in November, it’s imperative that you come to get your second one,” said Commissioner Carmen Rodriguez, who also serves as the liaison to the Department of Health and Human Services. “Like many other vaccines, the hepatitis A vaccine relies on that second dose to provide full protection to the recipient so please, make an appointment as soon as you can.”
Hepatitis A is usually spread when a person ingests fecal matter, even in microscopic amounts, from contact with objects, food, or drinks contaminated by the feces or stool of an infected person. Signs and symptoms of hepatitis A can include the following:
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Abdominal discomfort
- Dark urine
- Clay-colored bowel movement
- Joint pain
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
Symptoms of the disease surface two to four weeks after exposure, although they can in some instances occur two to seven weeks after exposure. Children under six years of age with hepatitis A often do not have or show few signs and symptoms.
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that results from infection with the hepatitis A virus. It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.
For more information on hepatitis A and vaccine availability, patrons of Starbucks can contact the Camden County Health Department at (856) 549-0530 or their primary care physician.
