“Officials Warn Travelers of Hepatitis”

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California health officials are concerned that preoccupation over severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) will cause summer travelers to forget to get immunized against more common forms of hepatitis. Francie Wise, Communicable Disease Program chief in Contra Costa, says that people traveling to under-developed nations run a greater risk of coming in contact with hepatitis A and B. Media attention on SARS has travelers paying closer attention to coughs and sneezes than intestinal infections, observes Wise. According to the World Health Organization, the chances of contracting hepatitis A or B are “moderate to high” in areas such as Africa, Asia, South America, and Central America.

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