ADHS
News Release:
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| Release: |
Hepatitis Exposure Possible from Las Vegas Gaming Expo |
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| Release
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
September 23, 2005 |
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| Contact: |
Michael Murphy, ADHS Public Information: (602) 542-1094
Dave Engelthaler, ADHS State Epidemiologist (602) 364-3297 |
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More than 700 Arizonans who attended the Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center
September 13-14 may have been exposed to Hepatitis A through an infected individual who worked at the conference.
The individual was working at a Schwan’s Food Service booth and was handing out samples of ice cream. The individual serving the product is considered the source of possible exposure and not the ice cream product.
The Arizona Department of Health Services is seeking to notify an estimated 739 Arizona residents who may have come into contact with this individual. Individuals who ate ice cream at the Schwan’s food service booth and who have not been vaccinated for Hepatitis A should contact their local health department for more information regarding preventative treatment.
Individuals who have been vaccinated against Hepatitis A have very little risk of getting the disease.
Illness resulting from Hepatitis A infection may include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea or abdominal discomfort, which may be followed within a few days by jaundice. Hepatitis A can take from 15 to 50 days to develop. The illness is rarely fatal, and is usually of mild to moderate severity.
There is an effective vaccine that virtually eliminates the possibility of getting Hepatitis A.
For more information on Hepatitis A, please contact your local health department, (In Maricopa County, call 602-506-6767).
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