LOVE THE GOLDEN RULE FEATURED IN ABC ACTION NEWS TAMPA BAY STORY ON HEPATITIS A
It has been a great week at Love the Golden Rule Inc. I had the opportunity to lecture in Kissimmee, Winter Park, and Jensen Beach. The talks were all on hepatitis C.
More exciting is that Wendy Ryan from ABC action news came to the office on Tuesday to do a story about Hepatitis A. We don’t usually talk about hepatitis A but there has been an outbreak in the St. Petersburg area. In fact, it has closed a number of restaurants down because of fear of going to the restaurants. The story should air on April 15th, so keep your channel tuned to ABC action news that evening to see the report.
Hepatitis A is a foodborne virus that is spread mostly by people who don’t wash their hands. It can be spread by shellfish and dirty water. It is not usually passed from human to human although that can happen. The way it would happen is food handlers not using gloves. There is no necessary treatment for Hepatitis A. Many people will have a mild illness followed by resolution of the virus. In the United States from 2016, there have been 140,000 cases, 85,000 hospitalizations, and hundred and 140 deaths. The deaths occurred in people who also had other conditions such as hepatitis B or C, or alcoholism.
The Pinellas County Health Department is done a great job of promoting information about Hepatitis A. They are offering free vaccines. The vaccine is effective in preventing you from getting the virus. I would encourage all of you to be vaccinated for hepatitis A and B. We do not have the vaccine for hepatitis C which is one of the reasons we need to stamp out all infections of hepatitis C and Pinellas County. I will continue working hard to see that that happens.
Hope you have a wonderful week and remember to Be Happy, Help Others,
Dr. Bob
