An outbreak of hepatitis A which had origins in Caerphilly County Borough has been declared over by Public Health Wales.
In April, the body began an investigation with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and Caerphilly Council Borough Council into an outbreak of the infection at Glyn Gaer Primary School in Gelligaer.
Further cases in the area and one at Ysgol Rhydywaun, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, totalled 18 in June, but no cases have been confirmed over the summer months.
Heather Lewis, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health Wales, said: “Hepatitis A has a long incubation period – or time during which the illness can develop in the body – which is why we have needed to wait three months to declare the outbreak over.
“As part of our work to limit the spread of the disease, we held vaccination sessions at a number of schools, an after school club, and a nursery.
“In outbreaks of this kind it’s very difficult to say definitively what the source of the illness was. However, we are confident that thanks to the measures taken by the Outbreak Control Team this outbreak is over.”
Hepatitis A vaccinations are not routinely offered on the NHS as the infection is rare in the UK, with only 12 reported cases in Wales in 2015.
Further information about hepatitis A is available on the Public Health Wales website at www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/43692.