Edhat Staff
(Mike Eliason photo)
Source: Santa Barbara County Public Health Department
Dr. Charity Dean, Santa Barbara County’s Public Health Officer has reiterated as false the circulating rumors of the possible presence of Hepatitis C infection within the discarded debris and mud being relocated in landfills and local beaches in the county. Hepatitis C is caused by a virus that spreads when blood from a person infected with the hepatitis C virus comes into contact with the blood of someone who is not infected. It does not spread through food or water, making it highly unlikely that any threat of Hep C spread would occur under these circumstances.
Dr. Dean goes on to comment that, “the likelihood for evidence of other forms of Hepatitis (A or B) and its transmission within the runoff is extremely slight and adds that none of these (A, B, or C) are spread via inhaling dried dust from the mud. The circulating rumor surrounding Hepatitis transmission is unfounded.
But the CDC says Hepatitis A can be transmitted by water:
https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/pdfs/fiore_ha_transmitted_by_food.pdf —— Why is the county stating otherwise? Monitoring seems to only be taking place at beaches where sediment is dumped. Are they testing the mud for viruses before spreading it?
Don’t eat wet mud then, if you’re concerned about Hep A.
Oh, I forgot to add, don’t eat fruits and veg that have been washed/rinsed in muddy waters… but that should go without saying, huh? if common sense were as common as its name implies. 🙂