.....

Foodborne Illnesses Listed by Category Below

Literally speaking, 'hepatitis' means inflammation of the liver.    There are many possible ways that the body can acquire this condition and one such way  is by infection with the so-called hepatitis A virus (HAV).   HAV is spread primarily through the fecal-oral route which generally occurs following a breakdown in personal hygiene.   It can occur as isolated cases or on a larger scale as epidemics.   It is estimated that some 125,000-200,000 hepatitis A infections occur in the US each year.   Of those between 84,000 and 134,000 are symptomatic (show symptoms) and of those, 100 are fatal.   According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( Atlanta, GA) approximately 33% of Americans have evidence of past immunity, meaning that they have been exposed to hepatitis A virus at some point in their life.

• often sub-clinical or accompanied by vague, flu-like symptoms
• loss of appetite
• intermittent nausea
• diarrhea
• fever
• pain and discomfort in the region surrounding the liver.
• darkened urine
• jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) in about 10% of cases
• liver damage in only the most severe cases.

Once ingested, hepatitis A virus is carried along through the stomach and travels to the small intestine.   There it incubates for two to six weeks shedding active virus in the process.   Somewhere down the line, the virus enters the blood stream and find its way to the liver where it temporarily resides causing the condition we know as hepatitis.

• fecal-oral
• food/waterborne outbreaks
• bloodborne (rare)

          The predominant way that a person acquires Hepatitis A is via the fecal-oral route.   It occurs as proper sanitation and personal hygiene practices diminish.   This is of particular concern to the unwary traveler who unluckily chances upon contaminated food.  This is the reason why all restaurant employees must wash their hands before returning from a trip to the bathroom.    Another common way that individuals are becoming infected is through the ingestion of contaminated shellfish (ie- crabs, lobster, mussels, clams, etc).   These animals are filter feeders which easily harbor bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.   Thus, shellfish harvested from endemic areas can  pass on infection from shellfish to humans.    Sexual contact is an increasingly common vector for transmission of HAV.

• Household/sexual contacts of infected persons
• International travelers visiting areas endemic with hepatitis A
• Outbreaks in the US have been noted in day care centers, among homosexually active men, and i.v. drug abuse