Case not connected with recent ones
By ANSLEY HAMAN, hamana@knews.com
April 29, 2005
A Powell High School student tested positive for hepatitis A on Thursday, but Knox County Health Department officials said the case is not connected with recent ones in surrounding counties.
The student received confirmation of the viral disease, which health officials suspect he contracted on a mission trip to Guatemala, said Charity Menefee, Health Department spokeswoman.
The student’s pediatrician alerted the Health Department early in the week of the possible case. An investigation ensued, but no precautions were taken until the student received confirmation of the results around noon Thursday.

Continue Reading Powell High student has hepatitis A

By JODY RECORD
Union Leader Correspondent
HAMPTON — A suspected case of hepatitis A is being investigated by the state after receiving a report of a fast-food restaurant employee showing similar symptoms of the disease.
Dr. Jose Montero of the Public Health Office in Concord confirmed yesterday tests are being done on “a food worker from a food establishment” for a possible case of hepatitis A. He described symptoms as including nausea, vomiting and a yellowing of the skin.
“There’s no diagnosis of hepatitis A in a person, but there is a person who is suspicious,” Montero said. “The person was not working today. They have been tested.”

Continue Reading Hampton fast-food worker tested for hepatitis

4/27/2005
A restaurant worker in Scott County is among those confirmed with hepatitis-A in East Tennessee.
But health officials say they don’t believe the viral liver disease was spread to people who ate at the restaurant.
There have been 18 cases of hepatitis-A reported in Anderson, Campbell and Scott counties.
One of those was an employee at a Waffle House in Clinton.
The health department set up an emergency clinic last week and vaccinated more than 1,500 people who ate at the Waffle House.
Health officials don’t believe vaccinations are needed for people who ate at the Scott County restaurant.
They would not identify the business.
The health department has not been able to find the source of the outbreak.

Anthony E. Fiore
Division of Viral Hepatitis, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta
Hepatitis A is caused by hepatitis A virus (HAV). Transmission occurs by the fecal-oral route, either by direct contact with an HAV-infected person or by ingestion of HAV-contaminated food or water. Foodborne or waterborne hepatitis A outbreaks are relatively uncommon in the United States. However, food handlers with hepatitis A are frequently identified, and evaluation of the need for immunoprophylaxis and implementation of control measures are a considerable burden on public health resources. In addition, HAV-contaminated food may be the source of hepatitis A for an unknown proportion of persons whose source of infection is not identified.

Martin I. Meltzer – Craig N. Shapiro – Eric E. Mast and Christine Arcari
Office of the Director, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop D-59, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Hepatitis Branch, Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA
Received 4 February 2000; revised 26 July 2000; accepted 26 September 2000 Available online 22 February 2001.
The economics of vaccinating restaurant workers against hepatitis A were studied using Monte Carlo simulation models, one with a restaurant-owner perspective, and one with a societal perspective. The restaurant model allowed for a different size, number of employees and employee turnover rate. Benefits were the avoidance of loss of business (including the possibility of bankruptcy) after publicity linking the restaurant to an outbreak associated with a case of hepatitis A in a food handler.

Continue Reading The economics of vaccinating restaurant workers against hepatitis A

Opinion Editorial
William D. Marler
April 27, 2005
In the last two weeks 1,200 High School and Elementary School students from Stockton, California, 5,000 patrons of a Clinton, Tennessee Waffle House, and thousands who ate a Norfolk, Virgina Soul Food Restaurant all have something in common — all are being urged to get Immune Globulin (Ig) shots to prevent the infection and further spread of hepatitis A after being exposed to a hepatitis A infected foodservice worker.
It seems that hardly a month passes without a warning from a health department somewhere that an infected food handler is the source of yet another potential hepatitis A outbreak. Absent vaccinations of food handlers, combined with an effective and rigorous hand washing policy, there will continue to be more hepatitis A outbreaks. It is time for health departments across the country to require vaccinations of foodservice workers, especially those that serve the very young and the elderly.

Continue Reading Call for Hepatitis A Vaccinations for all Foodservice Workers

Lawyers claim Ashland restaurant liable in Pine City man’s death from hepatitis A
By SALLE E. RICHARDS
Star-Gazette
srichards@stargazette.com
A wrongful-death lawsuit was filed Monday in the Chemung County Clerk’s Office against a town of Ashland restaurant in connection with the March death of a Pine City man.
Marler Clark, a Seattle law firm, and the Rochester law firm Underberg and Kessler filed the suit on the behalf of the estate of Donald L. Rockwell and his two children, according to a news release from Marler Clark.
The lawsuit claims Rockwell, 49, contracted hepatitis A after eating lunch Oct. 3 at Maple Lawn Dairy Family Restaurant on Lower Maple Avenue. He began feeling ill Oct. 20 and sought treatment Nov. 3, the news release states.

Continue Reading Family sues over hepatitis death

April 27, 2005
STOCKTON”A warning is out for families whose children attend 4 schools in Stockton: keey an eye out for Hepatitis-A. A cafeteria worker has come down with the infectious disease.
School and public health officials started to worry after a part-time cafeteria worker at Franklin High School was diagnosed with hepatitis A. Advisory letters went out to Franklin High and three elementary schools that are served by its cafeteria.
Diane Barth of the Stockton Unified School District told FOX40 News “She did not handle too much of the food, however they do believe that she handled some oranges that were placed in trays and delivered to the three schools.” Those schools are James Urbani, Millard Fillmore and Martin Luther King. They’re keying on students who may have eaten cafeteria food on April 12th, 13th, and 15th.

Continue Reading Hepatitis Scare At Stockton Schools