No Emergency, But Hepatitis Is Out There

The Spokane Regional Health District’s top health official has not yet declared an emergency requiring food-service workers, intravenous drug users and jail inmates to be vaccinated against hepatitis A.

So far this year, 132 cases of hepatitis A have been confirmed in Spokane County. That’s more than six times as many cases as last year at this time.

Health Officer Kim Thorburn on Wednesday issued recommendations to prevent spread of the virus over the holiday.

Everyone should:

Wash their hands thoroughly any time they use the bathroom.

Wash their hands with soap and water before preparing food, and between different stages of food preparation.

Provide serving utensils for every food serving tray, including cold foods, salads and ice.

Wash all raw fruits and vegetables before serving.

Use the same precautions for leftovers.

The best protection against illnesses like hepatitis A is regular, thorough handwashing, Thorburn said. That means wetting hands, using soap, washing hands, rinsing them, drying them and turning off the water with a paper towel.

Anyone with digestive problems such as nausea, fever, stomachache or diarrhea should not prepare food.

Hepatitis A is spread by fecal-oral contact or by eating contaminated food. An infected person can spread the virus more than a week before feeling sick.

Hepatitis A is infectious from two weeks before symptoms begin until two weeks after. Symptoms include yellowing of the skin or eyes, fatigue, abdominal pain, occasional nausea, loss of appetite and diarrhea.

, DataTimes