Campers At North Jersey Camp Exposed To Hepatitis A

BRYAM, NJ — Campers at a North Jersey summer camp might have been exposed to hepatitis A, the Sussex County Department of Health warned.

Campers and staff at Camp Somers, a Boy Scout camp on the Mt. Allamuchy Scout Reservation in Byram, between June 23 and Aug. 7 may have been exposed, officials said. Campers who visited the health center the week of Aug. 4 are at an increased risk of exposure.

Anyone who might have been exposed is advised to monitor their symptoms; those who visited the health center are advised to get the hepatitis A vaccine, officials said.

Officials have not said how many people are infected as a result of exposure at the camp.

This is the second hepatitis exposure in North Jersey in recent months. Twenty-three members of the Mendham Golf and Tennis club became sick after a food handler came to work sick, officials in Mendham Township said. In that case, one person is "seriously ill."

Hepatitis A is a liver disease, which can cause fever, stomach pain, dark yellow urine, and jaundice. Most people recover on their own within a few weeks, but it can be serious in some people.

It is highly contagious among people who have not been vaccinated.