Health officials are offering preventative Hepatitis -A shots to around 650 people from Northern Nevada. In particular the shot is for those who attended a conference in Las Vegas where they might have been exposed to this. The may have gotten it from a food worker, who had the illness.
A worker at the Schwan's Food Co. booth served free ice cream to attendees of the Global Gaming Expo the week of Sept. 12. He later learned that he had Hepatitis-A afterwards. Although there is no treatment for Hepatitis A, symptoms can be prevented if a person exposed to the virus receives gamma globulin within two weeks of exposure.
The shot is not regularly stocked by physicians, but is being offered by the Washoe County District Health Department in Reno. Only people who ate Schwan's ice cream samples are being offered the shot. The shot costs $28. |
