By Beth Aaron/Senior Staff Writer
September 28, 2005
A food handler who worked at Angelita’s Kitchen, 5401 South Ave. Q, may have infected customers who dined at the restaurant between Sept. 9 and Sept. 11 with hepatitis A, according to a City of Lubbock Health Department alert.
“Although the risk of infection is considered to be low, it’s still a concern,” said Tigi Ward, public health coordinator for the City of Lubbock Health Department.
Environmental Health has worked with the restaurant, and the establishment still is open for business, Ward said.

The formerly infected food handler, Ward said, “no longer poses a risk to the public.”
Once someone has hepatitis A, Ward said, they have lifelong immunity against the virus.
The incubation period for hepatitis A, a liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus, is between two weeks and 50 days, Ward said.
Someone infected at the restaurant may show the earliest symptoms of infection this week.
Ward said the viral infection is spread by not washing hands after going to the bathroom. Symptoms of hepatitis A include fever, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches and fatigue.
“If people are feeling ill, they really need to be checked out by their physician,” she said.
There are four known cases of hepatitis A in Lubbock, Ward said.
No cure for hepatitis A exists, Ward said, but supportive treatment can help ease symptoms of the viral infection. Those living with the disease must get into the care of a gastroenterologist to manage their condition.
“So prevention is key in reducing your exposure,” she said.
Though prevention is the best medicine against hepatitis A, Ward said, there are two vaccines against the viral infection, one for children and one for adults.
Elementary school children must be vaccinated for hepatitis A and B before they are allowed to enroll in school.
Hepatitis B can cause liver cancer later in life, Ward said, and is spread through infected bodily fluids, similar to HIV.
Hepatitis C is spread through blood-to-blood contact and is the fastest growing disease among young adults, Ward said. Hepatitis C often is asymptomatic, but the disease eventually can cause permanent liver damage, according to WebMD.com.
For more information about the hepatitis A vaccine, call the City of Lubbock Health Department at (806) 775-2935.