Report: Ga., N.C. Hepatitis Strains Linked

ATLANTA -- A North Carolina outbreak of hepatitis A probably came from green onions, which also have been blamed for outbreaks linked to restaurants in Georgia, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, according to a preliminary state health report.

The Georgia Division of Public Health found that the hepatitis A strain that sickened 16 people in North Carolina was the same as the one that afflicted 259 people in Georgia and likely came from the same source.

The Georgia outbreak had previously been traced to green onions shipped from Mexico, and the report said a single Atlanta Farmers' Market distributor provided green onions from California suppliers to three Georgia restaurants where multiple people got the liver infection.

Health officials have said that water can contain several different strains of the virus that could contaminate a harvest during irrigation or processing. The vegetables also could have been contaminated by infected workers.

There were no deaths stemming from the Georgia outbreak in September and October. This month, three people have died and more than 600 have been sickened in Pennsylvania in the nation's biggest known outbreak of the disease.

"We were very lucky in Georgia that people that got sick have gotten better or are continuing to recover," said Richard Quartarone, health division spokesman. "We were able to act very quickly on it."

Federal health officials said Friday that green onions from Mexico were probably responsible for the Pennsylvania outbreak, but stopped short of saying they came from one of three Mexican companies known to have supplied the onions blamed for other outbreaks.

Hey no problem. Just because our environmental regs make it impossible to have cost effective farming does not mean that we should keep our farmers in business with subsidies. They should just go out of business like every other business that can't compete. We can always get our food from cheap third world sources. (/sarcasm)

Rights, farms, environment ping.

Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from this list.
I don't get offended if you want to be removed.

You Can Prevent Hepatitis

This infectious virus is complex – it comes in three primary forms in the U. S. (A, B, and C) and two more less prevalent forms (D and E). Yet there is much you can do to help prevent hepatitis. Safe and effective vaccines exist to prevent Hepatitis A and B. Although hepatitis C does not have a vaccine yet, there are ways to reduce the risk of getting it. Today, about four million people in the U. S. are afflicted with chronic hepatitis.

Here's what you can do to prevent or reduce your chances of getting hepatitis:

Preventing Hepatitis A (HAV)

Vaccinate. Immunization of children (2-18 years of age) consists of 2 or 3 doses of the vaccine. Adults need a booster dose 6-12 months following the initial dose of vaccine. The vaccine is thought to be effective for at least 15 - 20 years. Vaccines to prevent HAV infection prior to exposure provide protection against the virus as early as 2 - 4 weeks after vaccination.

Other people who should be vaccinated include:

Users of illegal injected drugs.

Restaurant workers and food handlers.

Young people living in dorms or in close contact with others.

Children living in communities that have high rates of hepatitis.

Children and workers in day care centers.

People engaging in anal/oral sex.

People with chronic liver disease.

If you eat raw shellfish frequently, ask your physician about being vaccinated.

Laboratory workers who handle live hepatitis A virus.

Common sense hygiene. Hands should be washed with soap and water following bowel movements and before food preparation.

Traveler precautions. People who travel to developing countries where sanitary conditions are poor should receive temporary immunity (less than 3 months) by having immune globulin (IG) administered intramuscularly. For those exposed to HAV, IG should be given as soon as possible and no later than 2 weeks after initial exposure.

Its a new version called "Hippytitius":

"According to the Houston Chronicle, Washington Times and KindWeb.com, loads of silly jerks who follow the reprehensible sh_tgrass band The String Cheese Incident from town to town are spreading (ummm...we, like, prefer "sharing" to "spreading," dude) the hepatitis A virus at an alarming rate. Though not quite a full blown social epidemic just yet, the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta states that it will focus on vaccinating "kids who travel with the band."

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/news/03-10/08.shtml#story5 Profanity in the article

I just checked the String Cheese Incident's website, they have a Hepititis News Page:

"Hepatitis A among concert-goers in the United States
Thanks everyone for your patience while we collected the facts surrounding the recent Hepatitis A issue at summer concerts. While it is certainly something that we should all be educated about and aware of, we are relieved to have learned, through conversations with the Center for Disease Control (CDC), that there is no reason to be alarmed and that with a bit of cooperation and consciousness, our community can contribute our part toward public safety.

Here are the facts:

CDC has received reports of 10 confirmed hepatitis A cases in young adults that have attended outdoor concerts all around the U.S. The cases are from five states and range in age from 17 through 43 years; half are male. Illness onset occurred between June 1 and July 10, 2003. All of the cases have attended outdoor concert events this summer, including a wide variety of bands and festivals throughout the country. The CDC is currently investigating the venue and camping sites throughout the United States to try to determine possible contaminated food or water sources, and to begin following the path of transmission.

The CDC considers 10 cases to be a very "limited cluster" of disease and won’t even call this an outbreak. But they do need to be sure that the disease is not spreading within various concert communities.

For this reason, The String Cheese Incident has volunteered to allow the CDC to be on site during the Warfield and Trinity County shows. The CDC hopes that those folks within our community who have been traveling to concerts this summer can help out by answering a few questions. Mostly, they want to ask if you or someone you know has been sick. Please take the time to stop by their booth in the lobby if you think you can help.

The String Cheese Incident has always held that the safety of their community is of utmost priority. We are confident that this recent cluster of diagnosis does not compromise this in any way. The band, management, and promoters along this summer run will be taking every step possible to make sure that the issue does not in fact become a problem. We also need you, our community, to help.

We just need to make sure that there are no unknown cases out there. If you or someone you know has been sick, please take the time to talk with a health care worker during the Warfield or Trinity County shows or call Priti Patel at 404-395-0713. Also, practice prevention:

Always wash your hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing a diaper, and and before preparing and eating food.

Avoid sharing water bottles, cigarettes, and such. "
http://www.stringcheeseincident.com/htnews1.htm

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