The Banglamung Public Health Department is warning seafood lovers to avoid raw clams this summer due to increased risks of hepatitis A.
Adults are more susceptible to severe symptoms than children from the disease that spreads quickly during the hot season.
Hepatitis A spreads easily in half-cooked and raw foods, especially shellfish. The disease incubates for 2-4 weeks and symptoms include fever, body ache, nausea and loss of appetite. After the fever breaks, jaundice will appear.
Patients with hepatitis A will have very high liver function values in the thousands, while the normal enzyme value is in the 20s.
Doctors will try to treat the symptoms, but there is no cure for the disease. Victims are told simply to rest and refrain from taking herbal and vitamin supplements.
Doctors advise all shellfish be cooked thoroughly.
