On average, eight new cases have been detected per week, the ministry said.
/ A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo
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Increases number of patients with hepatitis A
in Alajuela, say specialists
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
There has been an increase in the reported cases of patients with hepatitis A in the province of Alajuela*, according to the Ministry of Health. On average, eight new cases have been detected per week, the ministry said.
According to Rodrigo Marín Rodríguez, director of health surveillance, this increase in cases has no relation to the consumption of drinking water.
An examination of the water was made, resulting in 100 percent of drinking water being free of the disease, Marin said. "I want to tell the population that if it had been an outbreak of water, there would have been hundreds of cases. "
The increase was described as "low" alert and was detected during the last 10 weeks.
In January, as A.M. Costa Rica reported, the ministry confirmed 33 cases of hepatitis A in Puntarenas*.
The cases were reported in the towns of Chacarita, Barranca, Esparza, El Roble, and Lepanto, all in Puntarenas.
Since Jan. 4, the Department of Epidemiology at Monseñor Sanabria Hospital* reported the existence of four confirmed cases of hepatitis A. As of Jan. 11, the confirmed cases rose to 33. Those mainly were in the towns of Barranca, Chacarita and El Roble.
Hepatitis A mainly affects the liver and is transmitted orally when an uninfected and unvaccinated person eats or drinks food or water contaminated by feces of a person infected by that virus or by direct contact with an infected person during work, school or other daily activities.
Marín urged the people of Puntarenas to take preventive measures and avoid new cases, saying: "Self-care and food safety are the most effective measures to combat hepatitis A. Self-care refers to this case, to proper personal hygiene practices such as proper and regular hand washing. "
The study of the cases and the laboratory samples for the research carried out by the epidemiologists now point to the source of contamination, poor hygiene in the preparation of food products and the presence of feces in the food.
After the confirmation of the cases, the Ministry of Health issued an alert to intervene and activate the health protocols in the active surveillance of new cases, both in the health services and in the population close to the suspected cases.
According to the ministry, all the patients are treated in the health services of Social Security. Meanwhile, the Public Water Institute carried out the monitoring of the pipelines to ensure the water is suitable for human consumption.
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