AP reports that Alaska health officials say the state’s hepatitis A vaccination program has virtually wiped out hepatitis A infections in the state.
Officials also say the program has cut down on the rates of the disease among Alaska Natives from among the highest in the nation to among the lowest.
Officials say the program’s success is detailed in an article recently published in the journal “Vaccine.”
The San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA) in warning anyone who may have eaten at a College Avenue McDonald’s on August 25, 26, 27 and 30) that they may have been exposed to the Hepatitis A virus.
This McDonald’s restaurant is inside the Walmart store on 3412 College Ave. in San Diego. People who ate at the restaurant between 10 a.m. and 11 p.m. on those days may have been exposed.
“We encourage anyone who has not had the Hepatitis A vaccine and those who may have been exposed to contact their health care provider,” said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer.
Walmart shoppers who did not eat at the restaurant are not at risk for exposure to the virus.
The early signs and symptoms of Hepatitis A appear two to seven weeks after exposure and commonly include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dark urine, light color stools, pain in the upper right abdomen, and yellowness to the eyes or skin (jaundice).
Hepatitis A varies in severity, with mild cases lasting two weeks or less and in more severe cases lasting four to seven weeks or longer. Some individuals, especially children, may not develop jaundice or any symptom at all. However, even mildly ill people can still be highly infectious and should consult a physician.
Patrons of Tom’s Gyro, 150 N. 3rd Ave., in Pocatello may have been exposed to Hepatitis A during August 2nd- August 14th, as an employee there has been confirmed as having the disease. Currently, there is no evidence of a hepatitis A outbreak associated with Tom’s Gyros. While the risk to public health is low, the possibility exists that Tom’s Gyro patrons could have been exposed to hepatitis A.
Southeastern Idaho Public Health is recommending that those persons who are not immune to hepatitis A (due to previous vaccination or previous illness) and who have eaten food or drink at Tom’s Gyro between August 2nd- August 14th receive hepatitis A vaccine or immune globulin (IG) immediately. In addition, anyone who has consumed food or drink at Tom’s Gyro from July 15th- August 2nd should contact their medical provider if they are exhibiting any symptoms of hepatitis.
Hepatitis A vaccine and IG are available through most medical providers. In addition, Southeastern Idaho Public Health will have hepatitis A vaccine and immune globulin (IG) available for people directly affected by this potential exposure. Please call Southeastern Idaho Public Health’s hotline at 234-5888 to be screened and to make an appointment, if appropriate. It is important to know that if you have had a hepatitis A vaccine or have had the illness in the past, you are protected from hepatitis A infection.
Hepatitis A: Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Hepatitis A outbreaks. The Hepatitis A lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Hepatitis A and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $600 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our Hepatitis A lawyers have litigated Hepatitis A cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of sources, such as green onions, lettuce and restaurant food. The law firm has brought Hepatitis A lawsuits against such companies as Subway, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Quiznos and Carl’s Jr.
If you or a family member became ill with a Hepatitis A infection after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Hepatitis A attorneys for a free case evaluation.
The Wilkes County Health Department administered hepatitis A vaccinations to 660 people after an employee of a local food establishment was diagnosed with the virus on May 13, said Debbie Nicholson, the department’s director of nursing.
Mrs. Nicholson said the shots were given to people who came to the health department for a special hepatitis A clinic during extended hours May 18 and 19 and later during regular health department hours through this past Friday.
She said the only people vaccinated were those who possibly could have been exposed to the virus through the case involving a Dixie Doughnuts employee diagnosed with hepatitis A on May 13. People were screened to determine possible exposure.
Mrs. Nicholson said the only people possibly exposed were those who bought food or consumed food bought by someone else at Dixie Doughnuts on N.C. 268 West near Wilkesboro between 7 a m. and 1 p.m., May 8; 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. May 9; 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. May 10; and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. May 12.
She said nursing supervisors pitched in with giving the vaccinations to help move things along and avoid bringing in extra help.
Dixie Doughnuts owner Lee Lassiter said the employee diagnosed with hepatitis A was a trainee who only worked at Dixie Doughnuts a short time.
According to press reports, three cases of an acute, infectious disease hit Greenbrier High School as students left for summer break. The Robertson County School System was made aware earlier in the week that the students were infected with Hepatitis A, exposing around 1000 students and teachers to the virus.
Around 300 student and teachers received the vaccination Friday.
If your child attends Greenbrier High School and did not make it out to vaccination clinic Friday, you have been advised to go to the Robertson County Health Department where free vaccinations will be given to those students.
Health officials say people who ate at a doughnut shop in Wilkesboro earlier this month may have been exposed to hepatitis A.
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.
The Vanderburgh County Health Dept. is urging diners who ate at Lone Star Steakhouse during the days an employee infected with Hepatitis A worked to receive a free vaccination.
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.
The time window is rapidly closing for those patrons who dined at the Lone Star Restaurant located in the Eastland Place Shopping Center at 943 N. Green River Road Evansville IN, 47715 to receive their free Hepatitis A vaccine.
Hepatitis A vaccine will be provided at the Vanderburgh County Health Department at 420 Mulberry Street Saturday May 12 through Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day including Sunday. Those who have symptoms of illness should not attend the clinics but should seek immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of Hepatitis A include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, pale colored stools, and dark urine. Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes, may occur a few days after symptoms appear.
Persons MUST receive the vaccine within 14 days of exposure for the vaccine to be effective. Persons presenting for vaccine 14 or more days after exposure will not be vaccinated and instructed to seek medical care if they develop symptoms.
Anyone who ate or drank at the Lone Star between April 30, 2012 and May 3, 2012 may have been exposed and at risk of developing Hepatitis A. Persons who are fully vaccinated against Hepatitis A or have a previous history of Hepatitis A disease are considered protected from disease and not at risk.
The following chart shows the last day to be vaccinated for each day in question.
Date Food/drink Consumed from Evansville Lone Star – Last Day to Be Vaccinated
Monday, April 30, 2012 – Monday, May 14, 2012
Tuesday, May 01, 2012 – Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Wednesday, May 02, 2012 – Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thursday, May 03, 2012 – Thursday, May 17, 2012
Persons who ate or drank at the Lone Star from April 20-April 29 could also get Hepatitis A, but should not receive vaccine because it is considered to be ineffective for exposure past 14 days. Those people should seek medical care if they show symptoms of Hepatitis A.
For more information, go to www.vanderburghgov.org/health and click on the Hepatitis button,
E-mail health@vanderburghgov.org, or call the Department at 435-2400 and select option 1.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver. The incubation period (time of exposure to development of symptoms) is usually 2 to 7 weeks. Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, pale colored stools, and dark urine. Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes, may occur a few days after symptoms appear. Symptoms usually last one to two weeks but can last longer. Symptoms are more likely to occur in adults than in children. Severe complications are rare and occur more often in persons who have liver disease or a weakened immune system. Anyone with symptoms of Hepatitis A is encouraged to seek medical attention promptly.
Hepatitis A is spread person-to-person by the fecal-oral route and occurs when a person eats food or drinks a beverage contaminated by someone with the virus. Thorough hand washing after using the restroom, after changing diapers, and before touching or preparing food or drinks is the best way to control the spread of Hepatitis A.
The Vanderburgh County Health Department and the Indiana State Department of Health are investigating a case of Hepatitis A in a food worker at the Lone Star Restaurant located in the Eastland Place Shopping Center at 943 N. Green River Road Evansville IN, 47715-2418.
“We’ve been in contact with Lone Star and we wanted to let people know that they may have been exposed,” Dr. Ray Nicholson, Health Officer for the Health Department said.
Persons who were exposed and unvaccinated can receive a dose of Hepatitis A vaccine to help lessen the effects of the disease or prevent disease if given within 14 days of exposure. Persons who ate or drank at the Lone Star from April 20-April 26, 2012 could have been exposed to Hepatitis A, but should not receive vaccine because it is not effective for exposure past 14 days. Those people should seek medical care if they show symptoms of Hepatitis A.
Persons who ate at the Lone Star from April 27, 2012 to May 3, 2012 may also have been exposed to the Hepatitis A virus. The Vanderburgh County Health Department and Indiana State Department of Health are working to secure vaccine to offer to anyone who ate at the restaurant from April 27 to May 3, 2012. Information on immunization clinics will be released when the health department receives the vaccine. In the meantime, health officials say to remain on the alert.
About 1,000 people received hepatitis A vaccinations through the Tuscaloosa County Health Department last week after it was announced that a local fast-food employee had been diagnosed with the virus.
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.
