SEVEN MORE HEPATITIS A CASES SURFACE

LAKELAND -- Polk County health officials confirmed seven more cases of
hepatitis A last week, bringing the total for the year to 202.

The cases reported are down slightly from the previous two weeks, during
which time Polk County Health Department officials confirmed a total of 19
hepatitis A cases.

But the weekly figures, which often serve as a retroactive accounting for
older cases, can be a bit misleading as a gauge of trends in the hepatitis
A outbreak.

Six of the cases reported this week came from early or mid-June. One came
from May.

A monthly analysis of the confirmed cases -- including those confirmed last
week -- show a spike of 57 in March, followed by 32 in April and 32 in May.

Dr. Daniel Haight, director of the Health Department, has said he expects a
slight decrease in cases for June, with a total "maybe in the high 20s."

But the 202 cases identified this year have already smashed last year's
record of 163.

And Haight said of this week's report, "Seven new cases is still
significant. It's a bad problem."

None of the new cases involved people who were in a position to contaminate
food and water served to the general public, Haight said.

Drug use, particularly methamphetamine use, and the poor hygiene it can
help breed, has been a key risk factor throughout the hepatitis A outbreak
in Polk County.

Haight said a review of his hepatitis A data showed that 70 percent of
cases "had a direct or strong indirect connection to illicit drug use."

Hepatitis A is in stool (feces) and is spread person to person by poor hand
washing after people have touched feces.

It can be spread through food prepared by an infected person with unwashed
hands or through sexual contact.

Haight and other health officials urge people to wash hands often and
thoroughly.

People usually recover from hepatitis A. It doesn't become a chronic
condition like hepatitis C.

Despite that, two Polk County deaths have been linked to this year's outbreak.