A possible Hepatitis A exposure has occurred at the Golden Living Center nursing home in Mount Airy, North Carolina. Anyone who ate at that facility on October 22, 2014 may have been exposed to the virus. The nursing home is located on Allred Mill Road.
An employee at the facility was recently diagnosed with Hepatitis A and was making food for residents and guests. Hepatitis A is a liver disease that can cause serious illness among the elderly, those with liver disease, and anyone with a compromised immune system.
It is now too late to get a Hepatitis A vaccination to prevent the illness, since the event took place more than two weeks ago. A Hepatitis A or immune globulin vaccine must be given within two weeks of exposure.
All you can do is monitor yourself for the symptoms of Hepatitis A, which include fever, tiredness, clay colored stools, dark urine, nausea, jaundice (yellowing eyes and skin), abdominal pain, and loss of appetite. Symptoms may begin as early as today or as late as mid-December. If you do become sick, please see your doctor and contact your local health department.
Hepatitis A is spread through contaminated food and drink, by touching contaminated surfaces, and by person-to-person contact. If you have had Hepatitis A in the past or have been vaccinated you are protected from the illness. For more information, call the Surry County Health and Nutrition Center at 336-401-8410.
