More than 240 people received a hepatitis A vaccination Wednesday from the Jackson County Health Department’s clinic.
That figure is not a final tally, officials said, and was much lower than the 2,000 the department prepared to serve.
The clinic was offered to those who used the drive-thru on Nov. 13 and 14 at the Taco Bell at 1509 E. Tipton St. in Seymour. The agency last week reported an employee worked while ill and the Center for Disease Controls recommended the clinic because of the risk to the general population.
“That’s what prompted this clinic,” said Lin Montgomery, the department’s public health education coordinator.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that can cause loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, fever, stomach pain, brown-colored urine and light-colored stool. Yellowing of the skin or eyes also may appear.
It usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food and drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person.
Individuals can become ill up to seven weeks after being exposed to the virus, but those who received the vaccine should not be affected because it was administered within the window of opportunity, Montgomery said.
Volunteers administered vaccines during the clinic at American Legion Post 89 on Second Street in Seymour. The department provided the first of the two-shot vaccine and recipients will have to make arrangements for the second dose in six months.
Those who show symptoms should visit a doctor for treatment, she said.
Montgomery said the first shot is 97 percent effective and the second round is considered a booster for extra coverage. Patients will not have to receive the vaccine again.
“Then it’s good for life,” she said.
Montgomery said Seymour’s Taco Bell was a “model company to work with” in the situation. She said the restaurant sanitized the business, allowed the department to review procedures and encouraged employees to receive vaccinations.
The restaurant was not cited in the incident and one employee even helped with the clinic.
“One of their managers even volunteered,” Montgomery said. “That’s how dedicated they were.”
She said the company’s procedures for serving food met all standards and the company has a history of compliance.
“Taco Bell has always been compliant, it just happened that this individual was ill,” she said. “It could have happened anywhere.”
The department also has investigated other cases of hepatitis A in the county in the past.
One of the more recent incidents involved a Pizza Hut in Seymour. The department received reports, conducted its investigation, but the CDC determined action was not needed, Montgomery said.
The department investigated and confirmed the case, but the CDC determined the situation did not pose high enough risk to the general public, Montgomery said.
She said hepatitis A is on the rise throughout the state and region. Montgomery said Clark and Lawrence counties have experienced high rates this year.
The best way to avoid the disease is to wash your hands and get the vaccine, she said.
Vaccines are available at most doctor’s offices, the department and local pharmacies.
https://ift.tt/2Sh4mSS
Comments
Post a Comment