Sacramento Area Hepatitis A Lawyer
Sacramento Area Hepatitis A Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, an East Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. Hepatitis A is a virus that causes liver disease, and that typically is transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated water or food, or through direct contact with an infectious person. Because there is an effective vaccine available to prevent hepatitis A, it is usually those who are unvaccinated that are more at risk of contracting hepatitis A from contaminated water or food. While other hepatitis viruses can cause chronic liver disease, hepatitis A can cause debilitating symptoms and acute liver failure, which is sudden and temporary, but it can also be fatal.
Learn more about Hepatitis A by watching the Youtube Video below:
Hepatitis A is One of the Most Common Foodborne Illnesses
Hepatitis A is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness and infection, and epidemics can erupt at an exponential rate. A recent outbreak of hepatitis A in Hawaii has been linked to an infectious employee of an ice cream shop, and more than fifty people have reportedly become ill. But the explosiveness of the outbreaks can be demonstrated by one in 1988 in Shanghai where approximately 300,000 people were affected.
Transmission Of Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is mainly transmitted when an unvaccinated or uninfected person ingests water or food that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Accordingly, transmission may happen when the dirty hands of an infected person prepares food for others, whether they are family and friends, or patrons at a restaurant. Food and drinks that are the most likely to be contaminated by hepatitis A are vegetables, fruits, shellfish, and iced drinks. Hepatitis A outbreaks that occur because of contaminated water are generally associated with water that has been inadequately treated or that contains sewage. In addition, as mentioned above, transmission may also occur through close physical contact with an infectious person. However, casual contact usually does not spread the hepatitis A virus.
Symptoms Of Hepatitis A
Symptoms or signs that you have contracted hepatitis A usually do not begin until two to six weeks after you have been infected. The symptoms can be either mild or severe and can include fatigue, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark-colored urine, joint pain, and jaundice. Young children usually have no symptoms of hepatitis A, but older children and adults typically experience more severe symptoms, and jaundice can occur in more than seventy percent of cases. While most people who get hepatitis A will recover completely without lasting liver damage, many will feel ill for months, even as long as six months, and in some cases hepatitis A can cause liver failure and even death.
Hepatitis A Litigation
If you believe that you or a loved one has contracted hepatitis A as the result of contaminated food or water, it is important that you seek medical treatment as soon as possible. A medical professional will typically recommend that you rest and stay hydrated. However, if your symptoms are severe or worsen over time, it’s imperative that you quickly receive proper care as hepatitis A can cause liver failure, which can be fatal. In addition to seeking treatment, be sure to try to remember and write down any and all food that you have consumed, and where you consumed that food, for up to six weeks prior to when symptoms first occurred. While usually hepatitis A outbreaks can be traced back to restaurants, it is important to note that food can become contaminated by hepatitis A anywhere and anytime along the distribution chain, including during growing, harvesting, handling, processing, and even after cooking. In successful lawsuits for damages from hepatitis A, it is usually a restaurant, grocery store, food distributor, or other food company that is held responsible for the contaminated food or drink that caused the hepatitis A outbreak.
Sacramento Area Hepatitis A Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, an East Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer. If you or someone you love has become seriously ill or has passed away as a result of food poisoning, call me right away at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.
I’ve been helping Sacramento residents recover compensation for their serious food poisoning cases and wrongful death claims for more than 3 decades.
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I’m honored to be among the California members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. We are an association of trial lawyers who have won numerous Multi-Million Dollar case verdicts and settlements.
See a listing of my Past Verdicts and settlements here.
I’ve been practicing exclusively in personal injury law since 1982.
Image Attribution: By Content Providers: at Centers For Disease Control courtesy of Betty Partin [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Source of Sacramento Area Hepatitis A Lawyer – Ed Smith [CDC]