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Detroit Men Hospitalized After Hep A Infection From 'Fecal Oral' Transmission In Flooded Basements

DETROIT (WWJ) Two men in southeast Detroit contracted Hepatitis A, possibly from exposure to raw sewage in basements following heavy rains, according to Detroit health officials.

Both were hospitalized, one has been released.

In wake of the health scare, the Detroit Health Department is offering free Hepatitis A vaccines to residents of southeast Detroit through Sept. 2. The vaccine prevents infection if administered within two weeks of exposure.

"I want to note that we don't actually have any idea why or how these folks contracted the infection, but we do know that they share this previous exposure," said Dr. Abdul El-Syed, executive director of the Detroit Health Department.

The Hepatitis A cases followed bursts of sudden rain in July that led to widespread sewage backups in the city's District 4, which borders Grosse Pointe and the Detroit River, encompassing numerous neighborhoods including Ravendale, Victoria Park, East English Village, Jefferson-Chalmers and MorningSide, according to the Detroit news. Both men had cleaned up flooded basements in the area prior to their infection.

For residents who don't have a medical care provider, insurance or transportation, the health department is offering preventative vaccines for potential Hepatitis A exposure from Friday through Sept. 2 at either the Samaritan Center, 5555 Conner, or Family Place, 8726 Woodward.

Anyone who could have come in contact with the virus is urged to get the preventative vaccine.

"It's transmitted through fecal oral transmission, which means that in order for people to get the disease somebody would have had to come in contact with infected stool and that stool would have had to have gotten into their mouth," he explained.

Hepatitis A affects the liver and its symptoms include fatigue, nausea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and low-grade fever. The time between infection and symptoms is two to six weeks. While preventable with a vaccine, the condition clears up on its own in one or two months.

 

 

 

 

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