Hepatitis A Case Study

Read the article and then answer the questions that follow. 

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Thousands of people still at risk after possible Hepatitis A exposure Thousands of people are still in need of hepatitis A vaccinations after a west Charlotte restaurant was linked to an outbreak after an employee was diagnosed with the disease earlier this week.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Thousands of people are still in need of hepatitis A
vaccinations after a west Charlotte restaurant was linked to an outbreak
after an employee was diagnosed with the disease earlier this week.
Public Health Director Gibbie Harris urged anyone who ate at Hardee’s
on Little Rock Road between June 13 – 23 to receive a vaccination as
soon as possible. Harris said as many as 4,000 people were possibly
exposed to hepatitis A at the restaurant during a 10-day span. Harris
cited the Centers for Disease Controls guidance, which said anyone
exposed to the infection must get the vaccine within 14 days, meaning
time is running out with each passing day.

Harris announced this week that health officials and the CDC declared an outbreak with five new cases being reported in Mecklenburg County.
Since April 20, there have been 10 confirmed cases of hepatitis A in the county. Since 2012, 1,200 cases of the virus have occurred nationally,
with 37 deaths and over 800 hospitalizations. As of Friday, over 1,500 people received the vaccine, which is being
provided at no charge at all public health departments statewide. Vaccinations will continue in Mecklenburg County through next
Saturday, July 7.

On Thursday, a class action lawsuit was filed against Morning Star LLC, which is a franchisee of several Hardee’s, including the Little Rock Road
location. Attorney Brett Dessler said the suit will include all of the potentially affected customers. They will be notified and given the
chance to opt out of the suit.

“Part of what these lawsuits are about is trying to raise a higher level of awareness about hep A and the risk it carries inside the restaurant
business,” Dressler said.

According to the Mecklenburg County Health Department, hepatitis A spreads through the fecal matter of an infected person, most commonly
by poor handwashing. Symptoms of the disease include nausea, fever, joint pain, fatigue, loss of appetite and stomach pain. Those symptoms can last
for weeks to months.

Last year, Dressler filed a similar suit against a Hardee’s owner in South Carolina, which affected between 1,500 – 2,000 people. That case was
resolved and dismissed. ©
2018 WCNC

1. How many people were possibly affected? ___________
2. What time span did the potential exposure happen? _____________
3. Describe The CDC’s role. (What did they do?)
___________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. List the symptoms.
________________________________________________________________________
5. How long can the symptoms last? ____________________________________________

6. How does it typically spread?________________________________________________
7. How many deaths have occurred from Hep A since 2012? ________________________
8. How many people must be affected to be considered an “outbreak”? ________________