(Port Huron Township) – St. Clair County Health Department officials have confirmed that a case of Hepatitis A has been discovered at the St. Clair County Detention Center.
The Health Department is currently investigating the incident and is working with the St. Clair County Sheriff Department to initiate preventative measures, including vaccinations, for those who are at high risk of the disease.
Sheriff Department officials said just one inmate was identified with the disease Tuesday and has since been placed in isolation, after receiving treatment at an area hospital. Correction officials are uncertain if the inmate arrived with the disease, or contracted it since being incarcerated.
The health department is asking anyone who was released from the jail between May 4 and May 18 to report to the health department by June 1 to receive a vaccine.
The virus causes a contagious liver disease with symptoms that include yellowing of the skin, fever, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dark urine, abdominal pain, and light-colored stools. Those infected with Hepatitis A are typically infectious for two weeks before symptoms even start to show. The disease can last a few weeks to several months.
For more information on the current exposure, about the disease or how to get a vaccination, call the St. Clair County Health Department at (810) 987-5300
