NEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (WKTV) - A New Hartford High School student has contracted Hepatitis A and now the school is scrubbing up and helping students do the same.

Hepatitis A is contagious and you may not even know you have it. It can make you so sick, you need to be hospitalized and was reported to the Communicable Disease division of the Oneida County Health Department this past Monday that a New Hartford High School student had Hepatitis A.

School officials sent a letter home to parents, letting them know they're cleaning the school and placing sanitizing stations throughout the building for students, because handwashing is one of the most effective way to fight the spread of the disease.

At this point, though, it appears likely that's no longer a concern regarding this case.

"The window for communicability for Hepatatis A is approximately two weeks prior to symptoms showing up in a person and up to a week after the symptoms have shown up in a person," said Public Health Educator Jesse Orton. "That is the window by which the transmission most commonly can occur and at this point we are beyond that."

How do you know if you have Hepatitis?

A doctor would need to test you, but some symptoms are fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, vomiting, abdominal pain and jaundice, but it can range from no symptoms to symptoms so severe, that hospitalization is required.