Ben Parker Elementary cafeteria worker is latest hepatitis A food service case
A cafeteria worker at Benjamin Parker Elementary School in Kaneohe who worked in the kitchen from Aug. 28 to 30 has come down with hepatitis A.
Most children in the state are protected from the disease through vaccination, which is recommended but not required for school entry.
A letter from the principal sent home today advises parents to take children who have not already been vaccinated to the doctor for possible vaccination or immune globulin.
S0 far, 271 people have contracted hepatitis A in the current outbreak, which was traced to tainted scallops. All of the victims are adults.
“We are complying with DOH [the Department of Health] and taking precautionary measures,” Principal Kathy Kahikina wrote in the letter. “Our meals will be prepared off site until further notice.”
“While our cafeteria is always run with safety precautions in mind, our kitchen will remain closed until kitchen staff has cleared appropriate health requirements.”
Students should be monitored for possible symptoms including fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, dark urine, diarrhea and yellow skin or eyes, the letter said. Such symptoms can occur up to 50 days from exposure.
Late last month, a cafeteria worker at Kipapa Elementary School also tested positive for hepatitis A. The cafeteria was quickly closed and a commercial company was hired to clean it. Meals were prepared at another school in the mean time. Other cafeteria workers were screened and none tested positive for the virus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 87 percent of children in Hawaii age 18 months to 35 months have had the first dose of the hepatitis A vaccine, while 55 percent had the second dose.
More information about hepatitis A and how to fight it is available at health.hawaii.gov/docd/hepatitis-a-outbreak-2016/
9 responses to “Ben Parker Elementary cafeteria worker is latest hepatitis A food service case”
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Is the failure to vaccinate children part of Darwinism? It’s incredibly sad, but with 7 billion people already in the world, should we really be interfering with such things?
I’m so sorry. SA has not installed the “Translate” extension. What on earth does your comment mean in English?
I’m so sorry. S-A has not installed the translate extension. What does your comment mean in English?
Whoops, duplicate. Sorry.
the cafeteria worker only worked 3 days? or are they basing the 3 days on when s/he first felt symptoms and decided to stay home august 30?
Did this worker eat the tainted scallops or get in close contact with someone who ate scallops? There seems to have not been any reports of secondary cases where a public area was contaminated with hepatitis A. What is the true risk of getting exposed?
Seems like SA and/or State Health Department are keeping secrets.
The worker only worked 3 days at the school. But, where else did this person work?
It’s probably too late now but shouldn’t our schools have required cafeteria workers to be vaccinated for Hepatitis A? Remember, not all students are vaccinated for Hepatitis A nor are all teachers and other school workers.
With so many diseases out there, food handlers should be mandated to get vaccinated or tested for diseases that can be passed from handling food. And ALL MUST be in-serviced on proper hand hygeine.