Food handlers will be required to get Hepatitis A vaccinations

Art Nadler

Friday, May 28, 1999 | 11:11 a.m.

People with a food handler's health card must obtain a Hepatitis A vaccination starting on Oct. 1, the Clark County Health District ruled Thursday.

The decision will affect more than 125,000 food handlers a year in Clark County, district administrators say. Food handlers will no longer be required to undergo a tuberculosis skin test, but must submit to the two-shot Hepatitis A vaccination.

The district also extended the renewal period for obtaining a food handlers' card. It now will be renewed every three years, instead of after two years.

The second Hepatitis A shot can be given at the three-year renewal, district health officials say, or six months after the first shot is administered. Once the two shots are given, no other Hepatitis A inoculations will be required for life. The vaccine was developed in 1995.

Hepatitis A is a disease that affects the liver. Its symptoms may include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and high fever. The disease is usually transmitted through people exposed to fecal matter, and who don't wash their hands properly.

Dr. Donald Kwalick, chief health officer, said the cost for the tuberculosis skin test was just too expensive to administer and the incidences of the disease were very low.

Hepatitis A, on the other hand, has been a serious problem throughout the county at times.

Dr. Rose Bell, the district's chief epidemiologist, said there were 188 cases of the disease in the county in 1998. That number peaked at 385 cases in 1997, she said.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control reported earlier this year that Nevada was near the top of states with high Hepatitis A levels. While the national average is 10 cases per 100,000 population, Bell said the Nevada rate is 30 cases per 100,000 population.

"It's not that we are seeing a problem in Las Vegas," Bell said. "It could happen anytime considering all the food establishments we have where meals are served."

Van Hefner, president of the Nevada Hotel and Motel Association, said a Hepatitis A vaccination requirement is a good idea because workers who work in the culinary industry in Las Vegas come from more than 60 nations.

"We have higher-risk people coming from throughout the world," Hefner said. "I think this is very positive for the Clark County Health District to stand out as a leader to assure food workers' safety and the safety of the patrons who frequent establishments."

Under this new county mandate, the fee for a food handler card will also increase from $10 for two years to $30 for the three years.

The tuberculous skin test will still be required for positions that involve community interaction. These would include such professions as adult and children group care attendants and school teachers.