Hepatitis A Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Hepatitis A Blog

January 21, 2006
The Vancouver Sun
Darah Hansen

VANCOUVER I Vancouver Coastal Health officials are warning that members of the public may have been exposed to the hepatitis A virus after a food handler at Foundation Eatery Lounge on Main Street became infected.

Restaurant patrons who ate humus, salad, sandwiches or raw vegetables at the
restaurant on Jan. 7, 8, 9 and 14 are most at risk of infection, Dr. Patricia
Daly said in a press release.

The infected employee has since taken sick leave and there is no current risk to
the public, Daly said.

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22 January 2006
By STAFF REPORTERS

The family that is believed to have sparked Christchurch's hepatitis A outbreak say the disease and its aftermath have placed an enormous emotional strain on them.

They maintain they were open and honest about their contact with the highly infectious liver disease, and say they followed all advice from health officials.

The family, whom public health officials identified as the likely source of the outbreak that has struck 30 people so far, declined to comment extensively on their situation until yesterday.

They broke their silence to express their "utter dismay and disappointment" over coverage of the hepatitis A outbreak.

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Sat, Jan. 21, 2006
JOHN SEEWER
Associated Press

Fruit and vegetable growers are tracking products and training workers to ensure their fresh green beans, tomatoes and peaches are safe to eat, driven by demands from the grocery chains they supply and shoppers at their markets.

Big retailers such as Wal-Mart are encouraging growers to embrace new technology that allows them to more closely track produce with bar codes and scanners. Growers are using bilingual videos and posters to train seasonal workers on proper hygiene. Some small farms are treating the water they use to scrub veggies.

Throughout the food chain there's more attention to food safety within the last five years because there's more worry about how an outbreak of illness could cost growers and wholesale buyers millions of dollars.

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January 20, 2006
Kamala Hayman
www.stuff.co.nz

Families and health officials are blaming each other for the rapid spread of hepatitis A through a Christchurch suburb.

The ABC Ferrymead Learning Centre is the hub of an outbreak of the highly infectious liver disease that has struck 30 people. More cases are expected.
Health officials have blamed inadequate handwashing for the outbreak as the illness can be spread only by contact with the faeces of infected people. Families have also been criticised for not following public-health advice.
But ABC families are demanding to know why infectious children were allowed to keep going to the centre.

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January 18, 2006
JAMA: Vol. 295 No. 3

To the Editor: In their study of hepatitis A immunization, Dr Dagan and colleagues1 described a remarkable decline in the rate of hepatitis A following a universal toddlers-only immunization program in Israel in 1999. In the same issue of JAMA, Dr Wasley and colleagues2 reported a reduction in the incidence of hepatitis A in the United States to historic lows after the implementation of childhood vaccination programs in several states. Both studies described a substantial reduction in hepatitis rates not only among children but also in adults. Wasley et al suggested that in the absence of transmission among children, transmission among some groups of adults (which is usually via the fecal-oral route, through close person-to-person contact, or by ingesting contaminated food or water3) may still be sustained.

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January 15, 2006
Accenture
Greensboro News Record

As of Sunday , the Alamance County Health Department had been notified of five confirmed cases of Hepatitis A in the county and six suspected cases.
The department has interviewed the families involved but has not yet identified a common source of infection. None of those infected worked in food service or child care settings. The State Health Department is assisting in the investigation.
All individuals reported the onset of symptoms between Dec. 19 and Jan. 6.

Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that is passed in the stool of an infected person. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fever and possible yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes.

If you or your family members experience these symptoms, you should contact your doctor, Dr. Kathleen Shapley-Quinn, the health departments medical director, said.

If you have questions about Hepatitis A, call 513-5528 (English) or
516-6203 (Spanish).

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13 Jan 2006

The Canterbury Medical Officer of Health says it is possible the outbreak of Hepatitis A in Christchurch is not over.

Mel Brieseman says there have been 21 recent notifications of the disease, most involving adults.

Dr Brieseman says the ABC Childcare Centre in Ferrymead is a common feature, but a series of other functions - such as a birthday party - were also involved in the spread of the disease.

It is believed the disease was probably introduced to the centre by someone returning from overseas.

Dr Brieseman says hygiene in the community, such as hand-washing, is nowhere near as good as it should be - so when a disease like Hepatitis A is introduced, it spreads very rapidly.

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January 12, 2006
Stuff (New Zealand)
Joanna Davis

Relatives and close contacts of Canterbury people infected with hepatitis A are being offered protective drugs after two more people were diagnosed with the viral liver disease.

Twelve people have now been infected since Christmas in Canterbury's largest outbreak for more than five years. Normally only two or three cases of the jaundice-causing disease are identified each year in the region.

Canterbury District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Mel Brieseman said the two latest cases were close contacts of those earlier diagnosed.

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Worry over Hep A outbreak in Christchurch
Jan 11, 2006

Two more cases of Hepatitis A have been reported in Christchurch - bringing the total number of people affected by the outbreak to 12 in the past two weeks.

On average, three cases of the virus are reported to the Canterbury District Health Board each year.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Mel Brieseman, says the ages of those affected range from three to 73 years.

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1/10/2006
WFMY News 2
Alamance County health officials say 10 people are suffering from the virus. All suspected cases have now either been confirmed or cleared.

Alamance County, NC -- There are now 10 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A in Alamance County.

Health officials have finished testing all of the suspected cases and say two of those turned out not to be the virus.

The Alamance County health department still has not been able to identify a common source for the outbreak, which was first reported on December 30.

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January 9, 2006
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10776389

BURLINGTON, N.C. - Health officials in Alamance County said they've confirmed five cases of Hepatitis A and are looking at six other possible cases. Two initial cases were confirmed on Dec. 30, and three others were confirmed by Jan. 5, according to a statement from the health department.

Over the weekend, officials said they were notified of another six possible cases.
Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that is passed in the stool of infected persons. Symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, fever and possible yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes. Patients generally become sick 28-30 days after exposure to the virus, though the time can vary.

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10 January 2006
By JOANNA DAVIS

Canterbury health officials are frantically trying to find the source of a debilitating hepatitis A outbreak that has infected seven people.

Normally, only two or three cases of the viral illness, which can cause jaundice, are identified each year in Canterbury.

Poor food hygiene is the most likely cause of the outbreak which has infected seven people, some of whom are related, since Christmas.

Canterbury District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Mel Brieseman said at least two people had received hospital treatment for the illness.

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Monday, 9 January 2006
Press Release: Canterbury DHB

Seven cases of ëHepatitis A' have been notified to the Medical Officer of Health since Christmas. Although there are associations between some of these cases there is as yet, no indication of a common source of the disease. None of these cases have travelled overseas.

Investigations are continuing to try and establish if there is any common food source. Close contacts of these cases are being followed up and may be offered preventive injections of gamma globulin if the exposure has been recent.

Three earlier cases notified in December belonged to a family who are believed to have acquired the disease during a trip to the Pacific. Since 2001, there have only been a total of 2 or 3 cases notified each year.

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January 6, 2005

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The 2006 Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule includes new recommendations for immunizing against meningitis, whooping cough (pertussis), influenza, hepatitis A and hepatitis B, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today.

These are some key changes:

-- With regard to preventing meningitis, the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV4) should be administered to all children between 11 and 12 years old as well as to unvaccinated adolescents at high school entry (age 15 years); also, college freshmen living in dormitories should also be vaccinated with MCV4 or meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4).

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Friday Jan 6 2006

A public health alert was issued on Thursday after an outbreak of hepatitis in Darwin, reports Northern Territory News.

At least four people have contracted the disease after eating at a hotel.

The incubation period is up to seven weeks and the Territory Health Department believes there could be more cases.

Centre for Disease Control director Vicki Krause said Thursday further transmission of hepatitis A could be prevented by early detection and treatment.

The sufferers were believed to have been infected after eating at the Marrara Hotel in McMillans Rd, Jingili.

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WTVF TV
1/5/2006
http://www.newschannel5.com/content/news/16506.asp

The Health Department is issuing a warning, and they say people who ate at Carol's Restaurant in Waverly, need to see a doctor.

Customers who ate at Carol's Restaurant in Waverly on December 23, 24, 27 or 28th between 1:00p.m. and 8:30 p.m. should visit their doctor as soon as possible.

The Humphreys County Health Department is also extending its hours on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It will also be open Saturday from 9:00 until noon.

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Thursday, January 5, 2006

The Northern Territory's Centre for Disease Control says no action will be taken against a Darwin hotel even though several diners contracted hepatitis A after eating there.

The centre says four people fell ill with the virus after eating at the Marrara Hotel in Jingili between November 18 and December 3.

Centre spokeswoman Vicki Krause says a kitchen worker seems to have been the source of the infection, which causes inflammation of the liver.

Dr Krause says the hotel breached no health and safety procedures.

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January 4, 2006
Mike Wilder
Times-News (NC)

The Alamance County Health Department is reporting two confirmed cases of hepatitis A and is waiting for more information on two other suspected cases of the disease.

The two known cases were confirmed last week. Health education supervisor Marcy Green said the department might learn today if the two suspected cases have been confirmed.

The health department hasn't identified a source of infection for the people with the disease.

Family members of the people involved are receiving hepatitis A immune globulin treatments.

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WTVF TV
1/5/2006

The Health Department is issuing a warning, and they say people who ate at Carol's Restaurant in Waverly, need to see a doctor.

Customers who ate at Carol's Restaurant in Waverly on December 23, 24, 27 or 28th between 1:00p.m. and 8:30 p.m. should visit their doctor as soon as possible.

The Humphreys County Health Department is also extending its hours on Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It will also be open Saturday from 9:00 until noon.

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