10 New Hepatitis Cases; Employees Not Source Of Outbreak No Secondary Cases Reported
POSTED: 3:22 PM EST November 18, 2003 UPDATED: 4:42 PM EST November 18, 2003
PITTSBURGH -- Tuesday, the Health Department confirmed 10 new hepatitis A cases. The virus was connected to the Center Township Chi-Chi's restaurant on Nov. 2.
SYMPTOMS: - jaundice - fatigue - abdominal pain - loss of appetite - nausea - diarrhea - fever
RELATED LINKS: - Hepatitis: The Full Story On 11 - Story Archive - Hepatitis Q & A - ACHD - CDC
Here's a look at the rate at which the cases have been increasing. The number of confirmed cases rose by 12 Nov. 4, the day after the outbreak was announced. The increase reached its peak Nov. 14, when there were 80 more confirmed cases than there were on the 13th. The rate dropped to 20 Nov. 15, and remained at 510 until Tuesday. Now, 520 people have the virus, including 12 Chi-Chi's employees.
Tuesday, State Health Department investigators said they are finding more evidence that the source of the virus is food, not a person.
Dr. Joel Hersh, director of epidemiology, said that evidence included:
A lack of evidence that any of the 12 Chi-Chi's employees infected with the virus had any role in transmitting the virus. Laboratory tests on three human specimens from the Beaver County outbreak are "similar" to the specimens found in people who were infected by the hepatitis outbreak in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina this summer. That outbreak, Hersh said, was linked to contaminated green onions.
Hersh also said that having only 10 new confirmed cases in the past three days, and no cases caused by a secondary infection, is encouraging. He stopped short of calling an end to the peak of the outbreak, but did expect the increase in new cases to continue to decline.
Officials said even more cases of hepatitis A could be confirmed into early December. However, the Health Department has not seen any secondary cases of hepatitis A; only those who ate at Chi-Chi's are ill.
To keep the secondary cases in check, the Health Department recommends anyone who has had close contact with an infected person get an immunoglobulin shot.
Monday, several people went to the Health Department Office in Vanport, Beaver County to do just that. The clinic will be open Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Copyright 2003 by Wpxi.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten
SLT Price at posting:
0.0¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
