Outbreak of hepatitis A, a contagious liver disease, hits Tri-Cities

The Tri-Cities has its first case of hepatitis A linked to the current statewide outbreak, the Benton-Franklin Health District announced Thursday.

A former inmate in the women’s section of the Franklin County jail in Pasco was diagnosed with the highly contagious disease after being released from the jail this month and returning to her home in Spokane.

The statewide outbreak has included 19 cases in Spokane, with the ill former inmate’s case recorded there. Statewide, 27 cases of the viral infection have been diagnosed and 17 patients have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.

The health district is working with the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office to identify and find other women who were in the Franklin County jail at the same time as the former inmate with hepatitis A and may have been exposed to the virus.

About 37 women were in jail with the Spokane woman, said jail commander Stephen Sultemeier, and are at risk of having been exposed to the virus.

Women who were in the jail in September are are asked to call the health district at 509-460-4200. Staff will review the dates of incarceration to see if they may be at risk.

Vaccine will be available to those who may have been exposed and who are not immunized against hepatitis A. The vaccine can prevent an illness if received within two weeks of exposure and will also prevent getting hepatitis A in the future.

The Franklin County Sheriff’s Office has been working closely with the health district, and is proceeding with some one-time cleaning steps recommended by the health district because of the former inmate.

Tri-Cities food handler education

Its corrections deputies have been offered vaccinations against hepatitis A since the statewide outbreak was identified.

Female inmates at the jail also are being offered the vaccinations.

The risk to the general public from the case is low, said Dr. Amy Person, the health officer for Benton and Franklin counties.

The current outbreak is related to a national outbreak that began in 2016, mostly hitting the homeless and drug users.

Past Tri-Cities outbreaks were most often linked to ill restaurant workers, and the health district is reaching out to food handlers in Benton and Franklin counties.

The district is making sure restaurants and institutions that serve food — including nursing homes and schools — enforce illness policies that require workers to wait 24 hours after their last symptoms to return to work.

The recommendation for those working with food served to children or the elderly is to wait even longer, up to 72 hours, before returning to work after symptoms subside.

The district also is emphasizing the importance of wearing gloves when handling food and carefully following food handling rules.

Infections with the virus can range from mild to severe and can last a few weeks to several months.

Virus is highly contagious

Hepatitis A symptoms include yellow skin or eyes, upset stomach or stomach pain, joint pain, fever, and vomiting and diarrhea.

The virus that causes the disease is spread person-to-person, and some people with the virus may have no symptoms but can still spread it.

The disease may be spread through eating contaminated food or drinking contaminated water.

It can also be passed to another person if someone accidentally consumes feces of another person, such as from using a contaminated bathroom and then eating without adequate handwashing.

Some people can spread the virus to others even if they have no symptoms.

The health district recommends washing hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water after using the bathroom, after changing a diaper and before preparing food.

This story was originally published September 26, 2019 at 5:07 PM.