Another Day of Hepatitis A

The podcast episode discusses hepatitis A, a liver disease prevalent in Los Angeles County. Sophia shares her personal experience with contracting the virus while working as a waitress. Olivia explains that hepatitis A is highly contagious and can be transmitted through contaminated food, water, and close contact. Factors such as poor hygiene and drug use among the homeless population increase the risk of spreading the virus. Prevention methods include vaccination, handwashing, and using clean needles. Listeners are encouraged to stay informed and take necessary precautions to avoid contracting hepatitis A. Hello, listeners, and welcome to today's episode on LA Daily Dose Radio. For anyone new to our podcast, we discuss different diseases prevalent in Los Angeles County, California to keep you informed and safe. We are excited to get started on our topic today called Another Day of Hepatitis A. My name is Madison Swanson, and I am the host of today's podcast. I am the health director at LA County Health Department. Joining me today is my colleague, Olivia, and guest speaker, Sophia. Thanks for joining me today, guys. Glad to be here. Wouldn't want to miss it. Today, we will hear a personal story from Sophia about her experience with hepatitis A, then get to know what exactly hepatitis A is with Olivia and how to prevent it. Sophia, please tell us about your unexpected run-in with hepatitis A. Of course. I worked as a waitress at a popular restaurant in LA County one summer. Absolutely loved the job and the many different customers I had the privilege to interact with. But one day, I started feeling unwell. I was constantly tired, nauseous, and had a fever. After several days of feeling sick, I went to the doctor who ran some tests and discovered that I had contracted hepatitis A. I was surprised because I have always been careful about my hygiene and did not know how or whom I had gotten the virus from. My doctor explained that hepatitis A is highly contagious and can spread through contaminated food or water. Being a waitress put me at risk of contracting the virus, especially if I didn't wash my hands properly or if the restaurant's kitchen was not clean. I had to take several weeks off work and was advised to avoid certain foods to help my liver heal. Poor liver. I was also told to avoid close contact with others to prevent the virus from spreading. I eventually recovered fully from the virus and returned to work with a new appreciation for the importance of food safety and proper hygiene. I also made sure to get vaccinated against hepatitis A to protect myself from future infections. Wow, thank you so much, Sophia, for sharing that. I'm glad you were able to recover and smart decision on getting the vaccine. Olivia, could you tell us exactly what hepatitis A is? Yeah. Hepatitis A is a serious liver disease that can be easily contracted if precautions are not taken. You can find the virus mostly in blood and stool of an infected person. Thankfully, it is a vaccine-preventable infection. Many individuals do not know that there are many ways other than poor hygiene that can lead to contracting the virus, which includes eating contaminated foods or drinks, sexual contact, close contact, and sharing needles. You know what they say. Hepatitis A will get you if you stick a needle in your tissue. That's one way to put it. Sharing dirty needles is how most cases of hepatitis A are transmitted from person to person in L.A. County. That is correct. L.A. County has a massive homeless population of approximately 69,144 unhoused individuals as of 2022, which is up 1.7% since 2020. Which among the homeless population, many individuals have poor hygiene and increased drug use. All of these factors increase the risk of contracting and passing the virus along. How can we all work together to prevent the spread of hepatitis A? It is important to first become fully vaccinated with the hepatitis A vaccine. Wash your hands with warm water and soap, and if you are to use drugs, use clean needles is vital. Wow, you guys. You're awesome. Thank you, Sophia, for your story and Olivia for your knowledge regarding hepatitis A. Thank you, listeners, for tuning in to L.A. Daily Dose Radio. We hope you enjoyed learning about hepatitis A and hearing from experts and real-life individuals who experience the disease so you don't have to. Stay safe and tune in next time to catch the breeze and not the disease. Stay safe and tune in next time to catch the breeze and not the disease.