CAPE GIRARDEAU COUNTY TAKES STEPS TO PREVENT HEPATITIS

As Sikeston fights an outbreak of hepatitis A, Cape Girardeau County has begun a program to prevent a similar outbreak of the virus.

A hepatitis A outbreak hasn't occurred in Cape Girardeau County, and public health officials would like to keep it that way.

About 20 representatives of food handling companies, including several local restaurants, met with communicable disease specialists Tuesday to learn more about preventing hepatitis A.

The two most effective ways to prevent the disease are good hand-washing practices and a new hepatitis A vaccine.

A clinic to administer the vaccine will be held Jan. 30. It is geared for restaurant workers and other essential community workers, but anyone interested in receiving the vaccine may attend. Also, information about hepatitis A and the vaccine is available through a new hotline at 335-5653.

An educational campaign to stress hand-washing is also being developed by the Cape Girardeau County Health Department and the local chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association.

Scott County has experienced more than 50 cases of the viral liver disease, which is highly contagious.

The outbreak began in September and shows no signs of stopping. Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays have brought a series of new outbreaks, said Sue Tippen, communicable disease coordinator for the Missouri Department of Health's regional office in Poplar Bluff.

The disease is spread through the fecal-oral route. It can be spread through person-to-person contact or through contaminated food or water.

Hepatitis A is seldom fatal, but it can cause long-term sickness, Tippen said. An adult can lose about a month's work while recovering.

Symptoms of hepatitis A include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, fever and chills, jaundice, pain in the liver area, dark urine, light-colored stools and abdominal pain. Symptoms may recur for up to six months.

Unlike other food-borne illnesses, hepatitis A can take 15 to 50 days for symptoms to occur. During that time, the person may be infectious. In addition, some people, especially small children, may never develop symptoms.

"There is no treatment once you get it," Tippen said. "The disease must run its course."

Restaurant workers are targeted in Cape Girardeau's prevention effort because hepatitis A can be transmitted to customers through food items like ice, uncooked fruits, salads and garnishments.

"Your customers literally put their lives in your hands every day," Tippen told the restaurant workers Tuesday.

Those interested in receiving the vaccine must pre-register and pay in advance. The cost is $35 per person.

Most health insurance policies won't cover the cost of the vaccine, but liability insurance coverage for some businesses may cover the costs of inoculating employees.