A recent increase in hepatitis A cases in the Sea to Sky corridor prompted Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to widen the eligibility criteria for free vaccinations this week, but public health officials say the number of cases isn't cause for widespread concern just yet.
VCH confirmed in an email on Dec. 13 that it has seen "a small number of cases of hepatitis A reported in the Howe Sound area" over the past few months, but declined to provide more details or exact case numbers in an effort to protect patient privacy. Public health officials previously issued a hepatitis A public exposure notification for guests who dined at Araxi Restaurant + Oyster Bar or Il Caminetto in Whistler Village between July 14 and 20, after a member of the restaurants' staff tested positive for the virus.
"VCH has not declared an outbreak or issued any additional public exposure notifications because the risk to the public is low," the health authority explained.
Still, representatives from VCH reportedly reached out to the Whistler Chamber of Commerce earlier this month looking for the Chamber's help to spread the word about how businesses can keep staff and customers safe amid the modest increase.
Hepatitis A is a preventable liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. It can be contracted by consuming contaminated food or water, or can be spread from person to person. Symptoms can include fatigue, nausea or loss of appetite, unintentional weight loss, fever, muscle aches, pain under the right side of the rib cage (where the liver is located), yellow skin and eyes, dark urine, and clay-coloured stools, according to HealthLinkBC.
Those symptoms can take two to seven weeks to develop after exposure to the virus and last for about two months, but can be best prevented with a vaccine.
In B.C., the hepatitis A vaccine is always offered for free to people with a higher chance of encountering the virus, including two-spirit and transgender people and men who have sex with men. Those interested in obtaining a dose can make an appointment at a participating pharmacy. In Whistler, those locations include Nesters Market, the Village Square Rexall, and Shoppers Drug Mart, as well as Frontier Pharmacy in Pemberton and the Nesters Market Pharmacy in Squamish.
This week, VCH extended free hep A immunizations to restaurant staff who would typically need to pay for the vaccines out of pocket. A hepatitis A vaccine clinic is scheduled to take place in Squamish on Friday, Dec. 16 between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m., while a range of appointments for the Whistler vaccine clinic were available on Saturday, Dec. 17. (More information about vaccine availability can be found on VCH's website.)
"With the number of employees in Whistler increasing for the ski season and tourism picking up, VCH is offering vaccine doses to those who are eligible as a preventative measure to limit further transmission," the health authority added.
