The Southeastern Utah Health Department serving Carbon, Emery and Grand counties reported vaccinating about 100 people against the Hepatitis A virus over three days last week.
No recent cases of the viral infection have been reported in the area.
State officials, however, warned Utahns last week that thousands of people who patronized four businesses in West Jordan and Spanish Fork during the last several days of 2017 and first few days of this year were potentially exposed to the liver-damaging virus.
The Utah Department of Health reported 152 confirmed Hepatitis A cases in 2017. The vast majority of those—133 cases were reported between May 8, 2017 and Jan. 2, 2018—were the result of an outbreak of the disease within the state’s homeless population.
It appears the earlier outbreak is what likely sparked this potential new food borne outbreak.
Health officials say employees infected with the virus were found working at a West Jordan 7-Eleven and three Spanish Fork establishments—an Olive Garden, Sonic Drive-In and Tabitha’s Way Local Food Pantry.
Any local residents who patronized these businesses within the relevant time periods should seek more information about their risk of exposure.
Local food establishments have been asked to be more vigilant.
“We have contacted all our restaurants to warn them to be on high alert and to review their health and sickness policies,” said Bradon Bradford, health officer at the Southeast Utah Health Department.
Hepatitis A is spread person-to-person, “usually transmitted through the fecal-oral route or consumption of contaminated food or water,” according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms usually appear from two to six weeks after exposure. Therefore, the true impact of this latest scare may not be felt for more than a month from now.
Bradford said if residents have any doubt, they should call the health department.
“Give us a call, we can direct them,” he said.
Beginning in 2002, children entering kindergarten were required to get a Hepatitis A vaccination before starting school, Bradford said. Most adults born before 1996, therefore, may not have ever been vaccinated against the disease.
“This week we want to hold our stock for people who need immediate vaccination,” Bradford said. “Next week, we’ll be encouraging people to get their vaccinations up to date.”
Hepatitis A symptoms include fever, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea, darkened urine, or jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin or eyes. A blood test can confirm the existence of the virus. Vaccination within two weeks of exposure can prevent infection, according to the state health department. And even if you are vaccinated after two weeks, the vaccine can reduce your symptoms.
The vaccine is available at the local health department, but can also be found at most local pharmacies and Walmart.
The vaccination is delivered via two injections given over several months. Bradford said patients won’t experience any side effects from the vaccine.
Food borne outbreaks of Hepatitis A, while rare, do occur. In fact, Bradford said Carbon County experienced a large outbreak 25 years ago.
Similar outbreaks were recently reported in San Diego—health officials believe the earlier spread of Hepatitis A through Utah’s homeless population began in Southern California—where 20 people have already died and nearly 400 been hospitalized as of Dec. 29, 2017, according to the California Department of Public Health.
In Michigan, which has been dealing with its own nightmare outbreak since 2016, 22 deaths were reported as of Jan. 10, and 554 hospitalizations since Aug. 1, 2016, according to data collected by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
For more information, or to seek vaccination, call the Southeast Utah Health Department at 435-637-3671.
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