Dayton Job Corps staff, students alerted to possible hepatitis A exposure

DAYTON — Vaccinations are underway after Dayton Job Corps staff and students were notified recently they could have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus.

“An individual at the job corps had contracted hepatitis A. They are no longer infected but we are still going to go out and provide vaccinations to people who work there and to the workers,” said Dan Suffoletto of Public Health - Dayton & Montgomery County.

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Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, communicable disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus. It’s usually transmitted person-to-person through contact with an infected person’s stool, or consumption of contaminated food or water.

Dayton Job Corps, 3849 Germantown Pike, is an education and career technical training program through the U.S. Department of Labor. The center declined to comment.

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The health department already has administered vaccinations to those who may have been exposed to hepatitis A at more than 60 locations in the county as part of a statewide outbreak.

Tammara Mims of Dayton received one of those vaccinations.

“I kind of feel protected because of that,” she said.

According to numbers released this week by the federal Centers for Disease Control, Montgomery County has 81 cases, the most in the state.

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Still, officials say it’s possible to lessen the chances of spreading the disease through simple, but important, steps.

“You want to make sure that you are washing your hands properly, preparing your food properly. Anytime you are in a place with a whole lot of people together, you are at greater risk,” Suffoletto said.

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