Parents are being urged to keep their child off school if they suspect they have Hepatitis A, as an outbreak sweeps schools in the UK.
According to reports, a total of 11 cases have been diagnosed in Caerphilly in Wales, with Consultant in Health Protection Heather Lewis warning there may be more to come.
“We are confident that to date, all the public health actions needed to control this outbreak have been taken and that the risk to the public remains low,” she told Wales Online.
“However, due to the very long incubation period of Hepatitis A, we may see more cases.”
The incubation period for this viral infection is between two and six weeks, which includes getting the illness and developing symptoms.
With this in mind, medical experts are urging mums to keep their kids off school for at least seven days.
Hepatitis A is very rare and “usually short-lived” and children tend to only have mild symptoms. It is not considered life-threatening.
Symptoms include:
- Tiredness
- General aches and pains
- Headache
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Itchy skin
- Dark urine
