Hepatitis A in a food worker and subsequent prophylaxis of restaurant patrons

A laboratory-confirmed case of hepatitis A was reported to Tri-County Health Department (TCHD) in Colorado, and the infected person was subsequently determined to have been a food worker at a local restaurant during the period of infectiousness. After conducting a public health risk assessment, TCHD decided to offer immune globulin (IG) to potentially exposed restaurant patrons. A two-day clinic in Adams County, Colorado, administered IG to 693 individuals. Planning, implementation, and evaluation of this clinic used a total of 900 staff hours and had a financial cost of dollar48,300. No additional restaurant employees became ill, and no secondary cases of hepatitis A were reported within the community. The mass-prophylaxis clinic was an important public health measure taken to prevent the potential spread of illness. The experience also provided relevant hands-on emergency-preparedness training that can be applied in other settings.