RIPLEY, W.Va. — Despite hepatitis A cases in Cabell, Putnam and Kanawha counties, a leading Jackson County health official says there have not been any cases of the disease yet in that county.
“We are currently still holding steady in Jackson County,” Jackson County Health Department Director Amy Haskins said. “We are just asking everyone to make sure they are doing a really, really good job and being really conscious about washing your hands all the time.”
More than 120 cases of hepatitis A have been reported in West Virginia since the start of this year. Six food service employees in Kanawha and Putnam counties have been confirmed to have been carrying the disease, but the transmission risk between employee and customer is low.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include yellowing of the skin and eyes, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, low-grade fever, joint pain, dark urine and light-colored bowel movements.
The general public is not considered at high risk for getting the disease. Groups considered high risk include drug users, the homeless population and men who engage in sexual acts with other men.
Haskins said they are providing vaccines to first responders, an effort which began this week.
“They are the ones who obviously will go out on calls that may be exposed directly to people who could possibly have hepatitis A,” she said. “If individuals are interested in getting a hepatitis A vaccine, they can contact their local physician’s office or go to a local pharmacy.”
Haskins said they have notified restaurants to remind employees to wash their hands and use gloves in order to limit the spread of the disease.
“Hand sanitizer does not work for hepatitis A,” she said.
A Kanawha County man died last week in connection with the outbreak.
MetroNews affiliate WMOV Radio in Ravenswood contributed to this report.