Nurses offer clarification about forms of hepatitis

Nurses offer clarificationabout forms of hepatitis
EDITOR:
After reading the letters to the editor Nov. 26 regarding hepatitis A and the recent food-borne outbreak, we feel that we must respond with some clarification on the various types of hepatitis and the methods of transmission. Hepatitis A, B and C are all viral infections of the liver. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the mode of transmission for hepatitis B and C are through infected blood or sexual contact with an infected person. All of those methods of transmission mentioned by the writer of the Nov. 26 letter (injection of drugs, needle sharing, unprotected sexual contact, accidental needle sticks, mother to child, dirty tattoo needles) are common means of spread for hepatitis B and C.
On the other hand, hepatitis A is most commonly spread through the fecal-oral route. This means that hepatitis A is found in the stool of infected people and spread from person to person by putting something in the mouth that has been contaminated with the stool of an infected person. The recent restaurant outbreak has been traced to green onions. According to the CDC, the onions were most likely contaminated during the distribution, growing, harvesting, packing or cooling process. The investigation has traced the contaminated onions to one or more farms in Mexico.
We agree that there is no reason to stop eating in restaurants. The restaurants in this country are inspected by health departments to assure that food is handled, prepared and stored properly and that employees use proper hand washing. While this is not a 100 percent guarantee, and it would not prevent an outbreak from contaminated produce such as in the case of the green onions, it does offer safeguards for diners in this country.
SELENE LAYTON, NANCY NORTON
Public Health Nurses
Trumbull County Health Department
Warren
Somebody is not tellingthe truth in Austintown
EDITOR:
On Nov. 24, I had an opportunity to attend the Austintown trustees meeting. In my opinion, the trustee-elect, Lisa Oles, made some very serious accusations about the integrity and honesty of the current Austintown trustees.
Mrs. Oles insists the budget for Austintown is over $14 million, while our current trustees insist it is closer to $11 million. Mrs. Oles also insisted that Mr. Tablack agrees with her that the budget is $14 million.
There should be no gray area here. Either the trustees have misled the community of Austintown concerning the dollars available and are lying, or Mrs. Oles is misinformed and owes the trustees and the community an apology.
I, for one, feel the police levy was defeated because of Mrs. Oles' insistence that the Austintown trustees have "hidden the money." After all, why vote for a levy when the money is available, as Mrs. Oles has insisted.
Let's all remember Mrs. Oles' campaign mantra: "It's all about trust."
I, for one, hope Mr. Tablack will attend the next trustees meeting to explain. Either Mrs. Oles is correct, or our trustees are correct. The meeting is scheduled for Monday.
I urge all concerned Austintown citizens to attend this meeting.
PAUL HORACEK
Austintown
Reduced sentences teachcriminals to beat system
EDITOR:
To the untrained eye in matters relating the adult criminal justice system, it would seem that many of Youngstown's woes could easily be explained when armed thugs get their convictions reduced from felony burglary to misdemeanor theft, have their sentences automatically reduced by half, given a year of probation, a $100 fine and a stern warning to stay away from the business that they robbed! In only 80 days (with the reduction for time already served, of course) these thugs will have yet another opportunity to be out on the street terrorizing more honest, hard-working people.
Youngstown Municipal Judge Robert Douglas should be ashamed of himself. I wonder what kind of sentencing guidelines he'd follow if someone knocked on his door and asked for all of his money.
AL BLAZO
Youngstown