The Wilkes County Health Department said an employee at Dixie Donuts was diagnosed with the virus Sunday.

Authorities say people at the most risk would have eaten at the business in the morning on May 8 or May 9, or in the afternoon and evening on May 10 or May 12.

Hepatitis A attacks the liver and is contracted through food, drink or close contact with an infected person. A vaccine can reduce the risk of contracting the disease if taken within two weeks of exposure. Otherwise, doctors often let hepatitis A run its course. Symptoms like nausea, diarrhea and yellowing of the skin can last for weeks.

Vaccines will be administered at the department's immunization clinic at 420 Mulberry St. every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Thursday.

Dr. Ray Nicholson, the department's health officer, estimates that out of the nearly 1,500 patrons who dined at the Eastland Place restaurant from April 29 to May 3, around 500 have been immunized. The employee, a bartender, handled mostly drinks and some food.

Persons exposed to the virus have a window of 14 days for the vaccine to be considered effective. The health department states that customers who ate or drank at Lone Star between April 20-30 could also have contracted hepatitis A but shouldn't bother with the vaccine.

Victims can carry the virus for five days without showing symptoms and be infectious to others. Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes, can show up several days after symptoms first appear.

Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that in some cases can cause death, but that happens usually when there is an existing medical complication. An average, healthy person does not typically die from Hepatitis A. It is far less damaging than Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C, which are far more likely to result in liver failure. The Hepatitis A virus is found on the feces of those infected and carry mostly by hands through close, personal contact.

But no one else has been diagnosed with the virus, which means it’s extremely unlikely that anyone else contracted it, said Dr. Albert White, area health officer for ADPH Area 3, which includes Tuscaloosa County.

“No other cases have been found, which makes it very unlikely that we had an outbreak,” White said.

Last week, the state health department announced that people who ate at the McDonald’s on McFarland Boulevard in Northport any time on March 14 or the morning of March 16 should seek a hepatitis A vaccination as soon as possible, because an employee at the restaurant had been diagnosed with the virus. It is standard practice to notify the public when someone who works in the restaurant industry is diagnosed with the virus, White said.

After the announcement, the county health department received a swarm of phone calls and a steady stream of concerned residents seeking vaccinations. The announcement was precautionary and does not mean that the food at McDonald’s was ever contaminated, White said.

Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that can range in severity from a mild illness that lasts a few weeks to a severe illness that lasts months, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Symptoms can include fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, dark urine, light stools and jaundice.

The virus is relatively rare. Nationally, about 20,000 new cases of hepatitis A are diagnosed in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. There has been more than a 90 percent decrease in people with hepatitis A in the past 20 years.

The employee worked March 14 and 16. Health officials ask anyone who visited the restaurant on those days to seek medical attention as soon as possible. Officials estimate around 3,400 visited the restaurant during the two-day span.

Customers who visited the McDonalds between Feb. 28 and March 16 could have been exposed to the infection, according to the health department.

"Hepatitis A vaccine and immune globulin can prevent hepatitis A virus infection, but only when given within 14 days of exposure," said State Health Officer Dr. Donald Williamson.

The Health Department says exposed individuals should receive treatment no later than this Friday, March 30. Individuals previously vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine are considered protected from this exposure.

No one else besides the McDonald's employee has tested positive for hepatitus A. The employee is recovering at home.

According to Dr. Donald Williamson, State Health Officer, “Hepatitis A vaccine and immune globulin can prevent hepatitis A virus infection, but only when given within 14 days of exposure.” Therefore, individuals exposed on March 14, 2012, or March 16, 2012, should receive treatment no later than this Friday, March 30, 2012. Individuals previously vaccinated with hepatitis A vaccine are considered protected from this exposure.

Customers visiting this McDonald’s between Feb. 28 and March 14 may have been exposed and become ill. Signs and symptoms of hepatitis A virus infection appear 2 to 6 weeks after exposure and commonly include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, dark urine, light stools, and jaundice (yellowness of eyes or skin). The disease varies in severity, from mild cases lasting 2 weeks or less to more severe cases lasting 4 to 6 weeks or longer. If you become ill, please contact your health care provider immediately.

Hepatitis A virus spreads when a person ingests contaminated food or water, or is exposed to contaminated objects. Persons are at increased risk of acquiring hepatitis A virus when they have been in close and continuous contact with an infected individual, particularly in a household. Frequent thorough handwashing with warm water and soap for 20 seconds is key to stopping the spread of hepatitis A virus. Handwashing should include the back of the hands, wrists, between fingers and under fingernails.

An employee at Cheddar’s Casual Café contracted the viral illness last September, potentially exposing anyone who ate at the restaurant.

Bridget Faulkenberry, director of the Health Department, said about 2,200 vaccinations are left over — some for children and some for adults — for those who took the first vaccine.

Since this vaccination is not mandatory, the department will charge $15 per vaccine. The Health Department spent about $240,000 on the initial doses of vaccine last September, Faulkenberry said.

The charge will help recuperate some of that money spent last year, Faulkenberry said.

She said she expects to have leftover vaccines this time around, too, as not everyone will take another one, and some people who took the first vaccine were from out of town.

The vaccines will be administered by nurses from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 3 and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 5 in the Health Department at 1902 Texas Ave., Faulkenberry said.

The Health Department will send letters to those eligible for the vaccine, and the recipients must bring the letter to get the vaccination. The letter states clinic will be cash only.

About 2,700 people took the vaccine the first time, said Faulkenberry. There were no cases reported other than the initial one, Faulkenberry said.

Hepatitis A is a viral disease, affecting the liver and causing inflammation and malfunction of the liver cells, said Dr. Joe Sasin, medical director for the emergency department at University Medical Center.

Sasin said the second immunization, which is purely preventative, should last for several decades.

“It’s very, very important to get that second immunization, and high-risk groups definitely should get the vaccine,” Sasin said.

He said Hepatitis A usually is not life threatening unless dealing with the very young or very old, or people who have other health complications. Most people who have Hepatitis A get over it on their own, and are immune to it the rest of their lives.

Health officials said the exposure may have occurred between Dec. 13 and Jan. 22.

The employee who was confirmed to have Hepatitis A wasn't involved in food preparation, and the risk to the public is "extremely low" -- but there was some possibility of exposure to diners, the health department said. The employee is said to have used good hand hygiene.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. It is usually spread by eating or drinking food items that have been contaminated with hepatitis A from someone who hasn’t properly washed their hands after using the bathroom, but it is also spread easily when a person doesn't wash his or her hands after changing a baby's diaper.

Symptoms of the disease include: fever, loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, jaundice, tiredness, nausea and dark urine. Anyone who ate at the Cheesecake Factory between Dec. 13. and Jan. 22 and has these symptoms is advised to see their doctor. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, lasting anywhere from a couple weeks to several months.

Health officials said the Cheesecake Factory, which is at 330 N. Milwaukee Ave., fully cooperated with the investigation.

Link.

Wayne County Health Department is holding a vaccine clinic today, December 21, 2011 from 7 AM to 6 PM located at 301 N. Herman Street, Goldsboro, North Carolina.  Anyone who ate at the restaurant on December 7 is being asked to go to the clinic and receive a shot.

The symptoms of Hepatitis A usually begin about 28 days after exposure to the virus, but can appear as early as 15 days or as late as 50 days after exposure.  

The symptoms include muscle aches, headache, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, fever, and malaise. After a few days of the aforementioned symptoms, jaundice (yellowing of the skin, eyes and mucous membranes) sets in. A person infected may also notice that urine turns dark in color and stools become light or clay-colored.

In general, symptoms usually last less than 2 months, although 10% to 15% of symptomatic persons have prolonged or relapsing disease for up to 6 months. It is not unusual, however, for blood tests to remain abnormal for six months or more.

The Allentown Health Bureau is investigating a confirmed case of Hepatitis A in an employee at the Pasta Alla Rosa Restaurant on Hamilton Street.

While the Bureau says the employee only had limited food handling duties, they still recommend that anyone who ate at the restaurant between September 23 and October 7 receive vaccinations or immune globulin (antibodies).

The Bureau says that unvaccinated guests who ate at the restaurant during the previously mentioned time period should contact their health care provider to discuss post-exposure prophylaxis (prevention). The prevention is only beneficial if taken within 14 days of exposure. Guests at the restaurant who have already been vaccinated against Hepatitis A are protected and don’t need to take action.

The Bureau recommends that unvaccinated guests between the ages of 1 year and 40 years be vaccinated while unvaccinated guests over the age of 40 receive immune globulin.

Unvaccinated guests who don’t receive vaccination or immune globulin are advised to seek medical treatment if they begin to experience the following symptoms:

• Yellowing of eyes or skin

• White stool

• Dark urine

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Diarrhea

The Allentown Health Bureau will make vaccine available next Monday. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., they will have a walk-in clinic at 245 North Sixth Street for unvaccinated guests between the ages of 1 and 40.

The Bureau also requested a supply of immune globulin from the Pa. Department of Health. The Bureau will offer it to unvaccinated guests over 40 once it becomes available.

The Health Department reported administering 570 shots through 3 p.m. Thursday in addition to an estimated 2,100 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Starting today, only those who dined or worked at the restaurant on July 29 and 31, and Aug. 1, 2 and 8, are eligible for free shots at the Health Department's Ramsey Street office. Officials say an employee who worked at the restaurant on those dates later tested positive for the illness.

The vaccine is effective only within 14 days of infection. Those who dined or worked at the Olive Garden prior to July 29 should watch for signs of the illness and contact a doctor if they get sick.

The only confirmed case as of Monday was an employee of the restaurant on North McPherson Church Road whose case spurred the warning, Health Department Director Buck Wilson said. It wasn't known how many people may have been exposed to the illness.

But anyone who went to the restaurant on July 25, 26, 28, 29 or 31, or on Aug. 1, 2 or 8, could have been exposed.

"The most important thing right now is to get anybody that was present in the restaurant during those dates vaccinated," Wilson said. "That's the No. 1 priority."

The early signs and symptoms of Hepatitis A appear two to six weeks after exposure and commonly include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, pain in the upper right side of the abdomen, dark urine, light color stool and jaundice.  It can also lead to liver failure and transplant.

The health authority says the person affected was outside the country for a time and is a worker at a Tim Hortons outlet in Labrador City.

Officials are advising residents who consumed food or beverages at the Tim Hortons between July 3 to 6, and who have symptoms of hepatitis A, to contact their family doctor.

Hepatitis A, an acute infectious disease of the liver, is caused by a virus that can be transmitted through contaminated food or drink.

Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, an upset stomach, diarrhea, jaundice and darkening of the urine.

Matias Valenzuela, public education coordinator with the county’s public health department, said his office has responded to six confirmed cases in the Valley, all in adults.

The nonlethal virus spreads easily, Valenzuela said in a press release, and it can spread through close contact with a person with hepatitis A.

The illness can spread when an infected person does not wash hands adequately after using the toilet and has close contact with others, or prepares food or drinks for others.

A spokeswoman from the Department of Health and Ageing says pharmaceutical companies are working to address the shortage and priority is being given to travellers.

Lisa Maguire from pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline says it is hard to say why there has been a bigger than usual uptake of the vaccine.

"It's really hard to know why there can be peaks and troughs, but we can certainly make an assumption there's been some increased travel and in turn there'll be extra need for this vaccine," she said.

"And what happens is there are a number of companies that supply the hepatitis A vaccine to the market. And if there's a supply issue with any company, that will cause a shortage."

Hepatitis A infects the liver, causing sickness for up to a month.

HAV is relatively stable and can survive for several hours on fingertips and hands and up to two months on dry surfaces, but can be inactivated by heating to 185°F (85°C) or higher for one minute or disinfecting surfaces with a 1:100 dilution of sodium hypochlorite (household bleach) in tap water (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices [ACIP], 2006; CDC, 2009c; Todd et al., 2009). However, HAV can still be spread from cooked food if it is contaminated after cooking.

Although ingestion of contaminated food is a common means of spread for hepatitis A, it may also be spread by household contact among families or roommates, sexual contact, by the ingestion of contaminated water or shellfish (like oysters), and by direct inoculation from persons sharing illicit drugs. Children often have asymptomatic or unrecognized infections and can pass the virus through ordinary play, unknown to their parents, who may later become infected from contact with their children.

The Nassau County Health Department said Monday that anyone who received communion at either the 10:30 a.m. or noon Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park on Dec. 25 may have been exposed.

A spokesman declined to provide details, citing privacy concerns.

Health officials will offer vaccines at the church this week. A church spokesman did not immediately comment.

Vaccine was offered free of charge for those children and adults who attended the clinic. 106 people were vaccinated on December 28th, 2010. The health department is currently working to identify ALL potential contacts. Persons recently exposed (within 2 weeks) to a confirmed case of hepatitis A should receive prophylaxis (vaccine or immune globulin) and it is available for adults and children. If you or your child is a potential contact a health department official will contact you.

Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a virus, which is found in the stool (bowel movement) of an infected person. People with hepatitis A can be very sick and usually need to see a doctor in order to get better. There is no treatment for hepatitis A however; Hepatitis A is a vaccine preventable disease.

Hands that have not been washed after going to the bathroom or by touching items such as diapers or linens soiled by bowel movement spread this disease from person to person. It can also be spread by water or ice and by eating foods that may have become contaminated during handling. Hepatitis A can also be spread by sharing items such as eating utensils, cups, cigarettes, lip balm or other items used to take drugs

Symptoms include:

·Tiredness

·Stomach pain

·Fever

·Dark urine

·Loss of appetite

·Yellowing of the skin and eyeballs (jaundice)

·Nausea

·Vomiting

·Diarrhea or Abnormal stools (pale & floating)

How can hepatitis A be prevented?

·Always wash your hands after using the bathroom.

·Always wash your hands after cleaning the toilet.

·Always wash your hands after changing diapers

·Always wash your hands after handling soiled towels or linens.

·Always wash your hands before fixing food or eating

·If exposed to hepatitis A, ask you doctor about immune globulin.

·If traveling to areas where hepatitis A is common get an immune globulin or vaccination before travel, drink bottled beverages, and do not eat uncooked fruits or vegetables, unless you peel them yourself.

According to the Cabell County Health Department, three of those cases have been reported at Milton Elementary.

Jedd Flowers, Director of Communications for Cabell County Schools, said the three cases reported are closely related and there is no cause for alarm.

Flowers said the school has been thoroughly cleaned. And today, school and health officials had a clinic at Milton Elementary for students wanting a Hepatitis A vaccination.