Hepatitis A exposure at Michigan Renaissance Festival expands to additional date
(WJBK) - Health officials confirmed a patron attending the Michigan Renaissance Festival early September has hepatitis A and was ill while attending the festival. They're now expanding the dates that people were at risk.
The person attended the fair on Sept. 1. Originally Oakland County officials recommended that anyone who visited or worked the festival that day get a hepatitis A vaccine by Saturday if they have not been vaccinated. Now, they've expanded it to also include anyone who went to the festival on Sep. 2 and 3.
The vaccine has to be administered within 14 days of contact with someone with hepatitis A.
Those who attended on:
• September 1 can be protected if they receive vaccination by Saturday, September 15.
• September 2 can be protected if they receive vaccination by Sunday, September 16.
• September 3 can be protected if they receive vaccination by Monday, September 17.
Those unable to get vaccinated by Saturday are advised that symptoms of hepatitis A include diarrhea, sudden abdominal pain, headache, nausea, vomiting and dark urine. Those affected may also experience jaundice, which is yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Those symptoms main appear from 14 to 50 days after exposure to hepatitis A.
Oakland County's Nurse on Call hotline, 1-800-848-5533, will be open on Friday, September 14th from 8:30 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. to answer calls. The Health Division will also host two special hepatitis A vaccine clinics:
Friday, September 14, 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m. at the North Oakland Health Center, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 34 East, Pontiac.
Saturday, September 15, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the North Oakland Health Center, 1200 N. Telegraph Road, Building 34 East, Pontiac.
The health division is closed on Sundays so you must get it done by Saturday if you were there on the first or second.