Mendham Golf and Tennis Club Hepatitis A Outbreak: One death Among the 27 Reported Cases.
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDH) reported on Monday, August 26, the death of a person who was sickened by a hepatitis outbreak which took place in the Mendham Golf and Tennis Club, in Mendham NJ.
According to the NJDH the cause of the outbreak can be traced to an infected food handler at the Mendham Township Club, the infected food handler worked from June 9th to June 30th. Department of Health officials stated that there have been a total of 27 confirmed cases linked to this Hepatitis A outbreak. The Department of Health spokeswoman Donna Leusner confirmed one death among the 27 reported Hepatitis A cases.
The Mendham Golf and Tennis Club sent a letter to all club members recommending that anyone who dined at the club between June 9 and 30 should seek advice from a medical provider. Department officials stated that club management is cooperating with efforts to identify possible infected individuals. Joseph Kelly, club general manager, wrote in a statement “We have taken a number of actions to safeguard our members, guests, and employees,”
According to the New Jersey Department of Health the Hepatitis A virus is found in the stool of infected people. People become infected by swallowing the virus, which can happen when infected people do not wash their hands properly after using the bathroom, then touch food that is eaten by someone else. Some people who contract hepatitis A may show no initial symptoms. Others may experience symptoms such as fever, fatigue, stomach pain, diarrhea, poor appetite, vomiting, dark yellow urine and yellow skin or eyes (jaundice).
Ron Simon, a national Hepatitis A Lawyer, stated “A person usually becomes sick 15 to 50 day’s post-exposure (consumption) of food or beverage containing the HAV virus… Hepatitis A is temporary and rarely results in chronic liver disease, but if left untreated, acute liver failure could end in death.”
