Two more Clermont County fast-food workers have been diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to separate statements by Clermont County Public Health.

The diagnosis of an employee at the IHOP on Romar Drive in Milford sparked the first statement by CCPH on January 9. CCPH is asking anyone who ate at the restaurant from Dec. 25 to Dec. 31, 2018 to monitor symptoms of the virus for up to 50 days.

Hepatitis A is a “severely contagious liver infection,” according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Unlike hepatitis B and C, A is typically short-term and does not become chronic, the CDC said.

There are vaccines to prevent A and B, but not C.

Symptoms of A include:

– Fatigue.

– Low appetite.

– Stomach pain.

– Nausea.

– Clay-colored stools.

– Jaundice (yellowish color to the skin and eyes).

CCPH said the disease can be spread through eating or drinking contaminated food. Someone with the virus, who doesn’t wash their hands properly after bathroom use and before preparing or touching food, can spread the disease.

“The restaurant management has been very cooperative and we are working with them to review safe food handling techniques,” Tim Kelly, assistant health commissioner, said in a press release.

One day later, on January 10, another statement was released, this time regarding an employee at the McDonald’s on 625 West Plane Street in Bethel.

CPHH notes that restaurants are required by law to report to them if hepatitis A is discovered in one of their employees.

The McDonald’s is still open, but that employee is off, recovering from the illness.

Anyone who ate at the McDonald’s from Dec. 16 to Dec. 29, 2018 is asked, like in the previous case, to monitor symptoms for up to 50 days.

CPHH said risk to patrons in both cases is “extremely low.”

The Ohio Department of Health declared a statewide outbreak in June 2018. So far, there have been 1,370 cases statewide and 42 cases in Clermont County that are linked to this outbreak.

According to Keith Robinson, communications coordinator of CPHH, there have been two other food-service employees diagnosed with hepatitis A.

One was on Nov. 15, 2018 at the Felicity IGA in Felicity, and the other was on Aug. 21, 2018 at the Taco Bell at 889 State Route 28 in Miami Township.

“We have been working on prevention measures since July in Clermont County,” Robinson said in an email. “We have targeted some of the high-risk groups within the county to educate on hepatitis A and stressing the importance of washing your hands.”

Robinson also said that Clermont County Public Health have had several off-site vaccination clinics.

Illness from hepatitis A can range from a mild case that lasts a few weeks to a severe illness lasting several months.

People at the highest risk of hepatitis A during this outbreak include:

– People with direct contact with anyone who has the virus.

– Men who have sex with men.

– People who use illegal drugs.

– People who are homeless.

– People who have traveled to other areas of the U.S. that are currently experiencing an outbreak.

– People who have been incarcerated.

For more information on hepatitis A, visit CCPH’s website at www.ccphohio.org.

A worker at the Miami Township IHOP was diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to a January 9 statement from Clermont County Public Health.
https://www.clermontsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_IHOP-Miami-Township.jpgA worker at the Miami Township IHOP was diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to a January 9 statement from Clermont County Public Health.

A worker at the Bethel McDonald’s was diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to a January 10 statement from Clermont County Public Health.
https://www.clermontsun.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/web1_Bethel-McDonalds.jpgA worker at the Bethel McDonald’s was diagnosed with hepatitis A, according to a January 10 statement from Clermont County Public Health.
Four cases in the county since August 2018

By Ian McKenzie

Sun Intern