The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) has identified a case of acute hepatitis A virus infection in a Rockwood, Maine, food service worker. The case handled food while infectious from September 2, 2020, through September 22, 2020.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) has identified a case of acute hepatitis A virus infection in a Saco, Maine food service worker. The case handled food while infectious from August 5, 2020 through August 21, 2020. While this employee was not in charge of preparing food, this employee had access to food in the kitchen. Maine CDC is making these recommendations out of an abundance of caution.
Accumulating evidence supports ending isolation and precautions for persons with COVID-19 using a Symptom-Based Strategy. Except for rare situations, a test-based strategy is no longer recommended to determine when to discontinue isolation and precautions. See https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/duration-isolation.html
The purpose of this health advisory is to alert clinicians to the potential for human arboviral disease activity in Maine as summer progresses and to consider testing for arboviral disease in patients presenting with unexplained encephalitis, meningitis or high fever (100.4F or 38C) during the summer and fall when mosquitoes are most active.
Most commercially available alcohol-based hand sanitizers or rubs (ABHSR) contain either ethanol or isopropanol as active ingredients. On June 19, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised consumers not to use any hand sanitizer manufactured by "Eskbiochem SA de CV" in Mexico, due to the potential presence of methanol, a toxic alcohol, as an active ingredient, which can cause blindness and/or death when absorbed through the skin or when swallowed.
The Maine CDC Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory ("HETL") has received several specimens for COVID-19 testing that do not have the appropriate paperwork attached. Federal rules under CLIA require HETL to only run tests that are accompanied by complete paperwork.
Maine has seen an increase in hepatitis A cases in Penobscot, Somerset, and York counties over the past four months, with the number of reported cases climbing from zero in January and February to 13 in Penobscot, 7 in Somerset, and 6 in York counties in March through today. Twenty-one of the 26 cases had risk factors of injection drug use or housing insecurity.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC) has identified a case of acute hepatitis A virus infection in a Saco, Maine, food service worker. The case handled food while infectious from May 12, 2020, thru May 23, 2020.
Maine CDC has adopted the attached recommendations regarding universal testing in congregate living settings. This policy may be updated as scientific understanding of COVID-19 evolves.
