Hepatitis shots

Every restaurant in the county should take advantage of the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center's offer to begin providing free hepatitis A and hepatitis B inoculations to food-service workers. Nearly 4,500 cases of hepatitis were reported in the state in 2005. The Centers for Disease Control estimates some 42,000 cases actually occurred.

Hepatitis A can be transmitted by ingesting food or water that has been contaminated with the virus. Hepatitis B is not spread through food or water but rather through blood transmission. These are serious diseases. Every precaution should be taken to prevent their spread.