PUBLIC INFORMATION CRITICAL WHEN HEPATIS BREAKS OUT

Hepatitis A is a highly contagious disease that sometimes can be fatal, and that is why it is so important that the public be informed when an outbreak occurs.

Such was the case in Bollinger County, where an outbreak in and around Marble Hill has infected more than 10 people since Sept. 1. Hepatitis A is usually spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of a person who has the disease. In the Bollinger County case, the disease has been confined to one family. Health officials have been meticulously checking with all of the people the victims have been in contact with in hopes of preventing further spread of the disease.

In the case of a communicable disease, the sooner word of the outbreak gets out, the less likely it is to spread because people will be more careful about where they go, what they do and with whom they are in contact. Even if the outbreak seems to be confined to one family, as it was in the Bollinger County instance, it still is wise to let people know so that they can take precautions.

Public-health officials can do a lot to contain it simply by warning of the disease in an expedient manner.