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Last updated on Monday, December 31, 2018
(BLOOMINGTON) - The Monroe County Public Health Clinic will be offering free Hepatitis A vaccinations on Wednesday and Friday after a food handler at Shalom Community Center tested positive for the disease.
Shalom Community Center, located on Walnut Street, provides resources for people experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Officials say the person handled food at the center between Dec. 13 and Dec. 24.
People who ate at the Shalom Center during this time are at risk of infection, and the Monroe County Health Department recommends they get vaccinated.
Free vaccinations will be offered from 8:15 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 2 and from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 4 at the Monroe County Public Health Clinic.
Shalom Center officials say they believe the infected individual was a guest and not a volunteer, so they believe the person did not handle food.
According to a press release the kitchens at the Shalom Center were cleaned and those not vaccinated will be temporarily prohibited from volunteering.
Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) says Indiana has an average of 20 cases of hepatitis A per 12 month period.
As of December 28th, there were 835 outbreaks with two death and 400 hospitalized from the disease with more than 102,931 vaccines administered.
Monroe County has 16 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A.
To reduce the risk of hepatitis A transmission, always wash your hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers and before preparing meals for yourself and others. Do not attend work or school if you are experiencing symptoms of hepatitis A, which include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, tiredness, stomach ache, fever, dark-colored (cola) urine, light-colored stool and jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes). Symptoms may take as many as 50 days from exposure to appear.
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