HEPATITIS MAY BE TIED TO METH USERS

Polk Spread Called Rampant

BARTOW - Polk County's rampant problem with hepatitis A may have its roots
in a localized community of methamphetamine users in the Lake Wales area,
health officials say.

The meth abusers early last year became infected with the disease -
probably through sharing needles or other unsafe practices - and then
helped spread it, officials said.

"We have watched that continue to move across the county with a continuing
increase starting around August," said Nancy Borgsmiller, supervisor of the
Polk County Health Department's hepatitis unit.

Polk, with 483,924 residents, has had 106 hepatitis A cases since Jan. 1,
compared with 24 cases in Hillsborough and three cases in Pinellas in the
same period of time. Both Hillsborough and Pinellas have about twice as
many residents as Polk.

Hepatitis A is an acute viral infection of the liver. It is found in feces
and is acquired primarily by person-to-person contact.

Polk has one of the highest rates of methamphetamine use and trafficking in
the state, said Polk sheriff's Maj. Rick Sloan. "I think we're sort of
nicknamed 'the meth capital of Florida,' " he said.

Polk is plagued with methamphetamine because it has plenty of remote areas
for clandestine meth labs. Also, the county is near big cities of Tampa and
Orlando and has a good network of roads to ship the illegal drug, officials
say.

Poor Hygiene Factor

Daniel Haight, director of the county health department and an assistant
professor of infectious diseases at the University of South Florida, said
drug users tend to have poor hygiene, which contributes to spread of the
disease.

"A large number of our cases continue to be in methamphetamine users and
their close personal contacts," Borgsmiller said. "We still have people not
going to doctors and not getting diagnosed and not giving us an opportunity
to protect their family."

It's not just the sharing of needles that can spread the disease,
Borgsmiller said. Methamphetamine, a stimulant made from easily obtained
products, can be taken orally, snorted or injected, officials said.

"They're sharing straws, they're touching the drug. My understanding is
they handle it a lot to pass it from person to person."

The health department discovered that about 50 percent of Polk's hepatitis
A victims have at one time been in Polk County Jail, she said. The health
department is working with the sheriff's office to provide vaccine to
inmates who admit to drug usage or are incarcerated on drug charges, she said.

Clearly, not all hepatitis A cases in Polk are among drug abusers or their
friends and families.

One person died in March after eating food that was contaminated with
hepatitis A from an infected worker at John's Restaurant, 1395 E. Main St.,
Bartow, health officials said Thursday.

Five other people were infected with hepatitis A after eating at the
restaurant, Haight said.

The worker stopped working at the restaurant in late February.

Haight wouldn't identify the victim. But the Medical Examiner's Office said
on Friday that Paquita Bessant, 29, of Bartow reportedly was suffering from
hepatitis A when she died March 6.

However, Medical Examiner Stephen Nelson said that no autopsy was conducted
to determine the cause of death because the hospital did not contact his
office as required when there is a public health risk.

Before becoming ill, Bessant, who co-workers said used the last name of
Campbell, worked at XYZ Discount Liquors on U.S. 17 South in Bartow, one
block from John's Restaurant. A fundraiser at the package store has raised
$1,100 for Bessant's 1-year-old daughter, said clerk Rhonda Caldwell. The
store owner, Sherman Auger, is going to match the donations, she said.

There have been other high-profile cases in Polk.

Infected Food Worker

Earlier this week, the health department announced an infected food service
worker at Jack and Mary's Restaurant, 1360 S.R. 60 E., Lake Wales, may have
exposed patrons there to the disease.

About 600 people who may have been exposed to hepatitis A at the restaurant
received shots of immune globulin at the Lake Wales Health Department.

Immune globulin gives temporary protection against the disease if given
within 14 days of exposure. The waitress worked at the restaurant from
March 9 to April 2.

Normally, food servers are not high risk for spreading the disease, health
officials said, but in this case, the waitress handled cold food - such as
slicing tomatoes and lemons.

There were only a few people eating in the usually packed restaurant at
lunchtime on Thursday. But owner Nisha Dhanani was optimistic.

"Some people are scared but they'll be back in a couple of days," she said.
"We have the safest restaurant in Polk County, especially now."

Jim Boyd, 75, was eating lunch at the restaurant Thursday after receiving
his immune globulin shot earlier in the day. "They're all coming back, they
say," he said. "It's spotless in here now."

Another hepatitis A outbreak in Polk received wide publicity when 13 people
were diagnosed with the disease from eating tainted cole slaw at a fish fry
at a home in Auburndale on Feb. 8.

The most seriously ill person was Joseph "Mickey" Merritt, pianist at
Canaan Temple Church of God. Merritt, 48, underwent a liver transplant at
Tampa General Hospital on March 23 and was in critical condition Friday.