[ad_1]
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – A state-wide outbreak of hepatitis A has been reported to an employee of a Charlotte Hardee hospital, according to Mecklenburg County Health Authorities , who are now asking all those who eat at the restaurant for 10 days.
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious liver disease transmitted by a virus and can last for weeks or months. It spreads by the fecal-oral route, usually due to forgetting to wash hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers, eating contaminated food or having sexual contact with a person infected.
Public Health Director Gibbie Harris diagnosed Hepatitis A on June 25 with an employee at Hardee Institution, located at 2604 Little Rock Road, Charlotte. The case of the employee is one of five new cases in Mecklenburg County since June 6, prompting state health officials and the Center for Disease Control to declare an outbreak of liver disease in the county.
There have been 10 confirmed cases in Mecklenburg County since 20 April.
"After consulting with the state today, we recommend a vaccine for exposed employees and customers who ate at the restaurant located at 2604 Little Rock Road between June 13 and 23," said Mr. Harris in a statement. "According to the CDC, the vaccine must be given within 14 days of exposure for the vaccine to be effective."
Hardee customers who ate food at the Little Rock Road restaurant on June 13 or June 14 are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated within the next two days.
Public health officials conduct vaccination clinics for those who may have been exposed to the restaurant or those who have high risk factors.
Vaccination clinics will be held:
- Wednesday, June 27 from 8 am to 7 pm and Thursday, June 28 from 8 am to 5 pm at the Northwest Health Department, 2845 Beatties Ford Road. and Southeast Health Department, 249 Billingsley Rd., Charlotte.
- Friday, June 29 from 15h – 20h00 at the Hal Marshall Building, 700 N., Tryon Street, Charlotte.
- Saturday, June 30th and Sunday, July 1st from 10am to 3pm at the Hal Marshall Building, 700 N. Tryon St, Charlotte.
(For more news like this, find your local patch here If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free iPhone Patch app, download the free Android Patch app here.)
According to public health officials, the high risk factors for hepatitis A include:
- Those who are household members, carers or have sexual contact with someone infected with hepatitis A
- Men who have sex with other men
- Those who use recreational drugs, injected or not
- Recent travel from countries where hepatitis A is common
- Homeless people who do not have easy access to handwashing facilities
Symptoms of hepatitis A include nausea, fever, yellowing of the eyes and skin, dark urine, gray stools, joint pain, feeling tired, loss of appetite and pains in the stomach. According to health officials, the best prevention – apart from a vaccination – is to wash your hands under hot soapy water for at least 20 seconds after using the bathroom and before you prepare the food.
You can find more information about hepatitis A here.
Photo via Shutterstock
Receive Charlotte's newsletter
[ad_2]
Source link
