About 3,000 people have received the Hepatits A vaccine after the New York McDonald's scare.
Seneca County Public Health responded to a Hepatits A scare after a McDonald's employee was diagnosed with the illness. Seneca County set up clinics at Mynderse Academy and the county office building. The department was able to vaccinate people who were reported to have patronized the restaurant on the days the employee reported for work.
All thanks to the quick thinking and action of Vickie Swinehart a Public Health Director. Once she became aware of the issue, she quickly consulted with the Department of Health. They quickly set up immunization clinics.
"There was a very low chance anyone would get the virus, but it is contagious" Swinehart said. She wasn't willing to take any chances after the multiple scares these past few weeks, such as the salmonella laced cucumbers and the E.coli from Chipotle.
They had less than 48 hours to set the clinics up quickly in order to minimize, contain or zero out the scare. They were able to immunize 1,200 people in the first two days and eventually totalled to 2,968 people with the help of clinic staff and volunteers.
The whole thing costs the county over $100,000 but the state agreed to pay a big chunk because it was classified as an emergency situation.
Swinehart says they will owe Erie County for supplying the medicine and they will need to reimburse other counties that sent staff to the immunization clinics.
The Board of Supervisors' Public Health Committee thanked the Finger Lakes Public Health Alliance and other county health departments for answering the emergency request quickly to help Seneca County in addressing the public concern of possibly transmitting a highly communicable disease, according to F.L. Times.
Hepatits A is a contagious liver infection caused by the Hepatits A virus. The virus can be contracted from contaminated food, water or someone already infected with the virus. According to Mayo Clinic, proper hygiene and hand washing are the best ways to protect yourself against the virus.
