Four students at the Coca Maravilhas Elementary School in Portimão are sick with hepatitis A, with reports that the first case was confirmed in February but was 'covered up' by school management.
According to Portuguese television channel TVI, the first case of Hepatitis A at the school was confirmed in February, but parents of the infected students claim that the school management "has been hiding the cases from the school community". The same sources state that at the school gate, there is information denying that there is an outbreak, and that the school is following all public health guidelines.
The General Directorate of Health confirmed that there are 4 infections at the school and that the transmission "occurred in a family environment of the cases who live in the same neighbourhood, in an area made up of precarious housing, without drinking water and sanitation".
Health authorities recommend vaccination for all high-risk contacts and warn children not to share food or water bottles, and to wash their hands regularly.
In the report , TVI says that since the beginning of the year, seven cases of Hepatitis A have been detected in the Algarve, but that the outbreak occurred initially in August 2024, with 52 cases in the municipalities of Faro, Olhão and Portimão.
Source https://www.algarveprimeiro.com/ - Photo courtesy of Depositphotos.com
