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June 21, 2002

U.S. IMMUNIZATION NEWS

"Nearly 1,500 Line Up to Get Hepatitis Shots"

Greensboro News & Record (www.news-record.com) (06/14/02) P. B1

Officials in Rockingham County, N.C., offered free hepatitis A shots after discovering an infected employee at the Reidsville Taco Bell restaurant may have unknowingly passed the virus to patrons.  The shots offered May 28 through May 30 attracted at least 1,500 people said officials, who noted that the program was stopped when no other employees were diagnosed and the risk to patrons was reduced since the infected employee ceased to work there after the 30th.  Eighteen other employees of the restaurant were immunized and will undertake extensively more training on proper food handling techniques and sanitation.  It is still unknown how the employee contracted the virus, but health officials noted that hepatitis has an incubation period of 15 to 50 days, though on average, symptoms usually exhibit in about 25 days.  In the meantime, anyone who showed symptoms, including fever, vomiting, diarrhea and jaundice were given blood tests.

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