Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Staff Report
The Alabama Department of Public Health is investigating an outbreak of hepatitis A, according to a news release from the Montgomery office. Since the beginning of September, 13 cases have been reported throughout the state.
The investigation has revealed that most of these patients may have contracted the disease after eating raw oysters.
Of the 11 patients who have been interviewed, 10 had eaten raw oysters in the period of two to six weeks before getting sick. Most had eaten the raw oysters about a month before becoming ill.

“Even if these cases of hepatitis A were infected by eating raw oysters, this outbreak was not caused by Hurricane Katrina,” said Dr. Donald Williamson, state health officer. “All of the persons had eaten the raw oysters before Katrina hit the coast.”
Preliminary information indicates that the 13 cases are scattered throughout the state as follows: seven from the Tuscaloosa area; two from the Birmingham area; two from the Montgomery area; one in Washington County; and one from Dallas County.
At least five eating establishments may have been the source of contaminated oysters. Trace-back activities will attempt to determine where the oysters were harvested.
The continuing investigation includes interviewing patients; determining the dates and the eating establishments where raw oysters were consumed or purchased; tracing back to find the source of the oysters; and collecting blood samples from patients that can be tested to see if all the patients were infected from the source.
Hepatitis A is a virus that affects the liver. It causes an illness that results in the patient turning yellow because the liver is not working well. Other symptoms include fever, lack of energy and lack of appetite. Illness can last several weeks, but virtually every patient re covers.
Only humans can get infected with hepatitis A.
There have been 19 cases of hepatitis A reported in Alabama from January through August of this year. Last year there were 10 cases. In 2003 there were 24 cases. Among these cases, only one patient gave a history of eating raw shellfish in the two to six weeks before becoming ill.