Published: September 1, 2005
By ALISHA WYMAN
A Tuolumne County woman has come down with hepatitis A, which has health officials working to immunize anyone possibly exposed to the disease.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection that can be spread through an infected person’s bodily fluids or through contaminated food. It results in liver inflammation, but is only deadly in one of 400 cases.

Before testing positive for the disease Tuesday, the infected woman cared for children at the Sonora Parent Nursery School twice and worked as a food handler at Ironstone Vineyards in Murphys during the three-week period she was infectious.
Calaveras County health officials are encouraging anyone who may have dined at the deli at Ironstone Vineyards between Aug. 18 and 21, on Aug. 24, or from Aug. 26 to 28 to get immunized.
In Tuolumne County, those exposed at the nursery school on Aug. 22 and 29 have already been notified. Eight were immunized yesterday, with three more to receive shots today, said County Health Officer Todd Stolp.
About 400 people could have been exposed, Stolp estimated, though the likelihood of developing an infection is less than 1 percent.
Hepatitis A symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal pain and jaundice, which is yellow eyes and/or skin or dark urine.
Stolp urged anyone who was possibly exposed and is experiencing the symptoms to seek medical care. There is no treatment for the disease other than eating well, drinking plenty of liquids and resting. A patient should also take special precautions with cleanliness to keep from spreading it
Symptoms usually pass in about four weeks.
The virus is spread through body fluids, most often when one person puts something that is contaminated by an infected person into his or her mouth.
“It just underlines the importance of hand washing when you’re using the restroom,” Stolp said.
There is an immunization for those potentially exposed, which is an injection of antibodies called immune globulin.
It can protect against hepatitis A for exposure that occurred within the past two weeks.
Tuolumne and Calaveras county health officials are investigating further the local case. The patient is expected to recover soon.