14 cases linked to hepatitis at Madison farm
by STAFF REPORTS
September 13, 2006
The Madison County Health Department has reported that four confirmed cases of hepatitis A have broken out in Madison County, with 10 more cases under investigation.
The 14 cases, possibly linked, are believed to have originated from a private farm in the county that sells and shares produce to the public, said Jan Lounsburry, Acting Director of the Madison County Health Department.
“I cannot give specifics about which farm, or where it is located until further into the investigation,” she said. “We don’t want people to panic… just be aware of the signs and symptoms and report them to their local health department or health care provider.”
The source of the outbreak, which is believed to have occurred in July or August, is still under investigation, Lounsburry said.
“We are trying to find out the source so we can contain it- whether it’s a water or produce source, or person to person exposure,” she said.
Nausea, vomiting, low fever, abdominal pain and a jaundice appearance are some of the signs and symptoms that accompany a hepatitis A infection, though about half of the people infected with hepatitis A may show no symptoms at all.
For a complete list of signs and symptoms, visit the North Carolina Health Department at www.dhhs.state.nc.us, or call Madison County Health Department at 649-3531.
Hepatits A is a disease of the liver named after the virus that causes it. It is almost always contracted through fecal contamination, mainly through food handlers who didn’t thoroughly wash their hands after having a bowel movement, drinking water or eating raw shell fish that came from unclean water areas, or from an area with poor sanitary conditions.
Individuals can get a series of hepatitis A vaccines as a preventative measure, but it will not affect the virus if exposure has already occurred.
