Las Vegas

Hepatitis
DocInTheBox 3191 reads
posted

The Review-Journal has an article this morning about a food worker at a recent convention who was Hepatitis A positive.  The convention was attended by 26,000 people including locals who worked there and locals who attended (it was a gaming industry convention).

It is likely that a number of locals have been exposed to the virus and may be infected right now. Because Hepatitis A often manifests with mild symptoms, many people who are contagious are not aware they have the virus and can easily spread it to others.  This is why it is often associated with large outbreaks that are difficult to contain.  

This is a particularly risky time because most of those exposed have no idea they may have been infected.  If an outbreak occurs, the publicity will put more people on notice.  Expect the casino industry to downplay the risk, however, those who interact with lots of people need to be very careful.  It has always amazed me that most people using restrooms fail to wash their hands when they are done.  The most common route of infection is fecal-oral (failure to wash hands, sexual exposure, food, etc.)

Advice: wash your hands, use protection, and be very careful.



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