A Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant is the latest confirmed case in Hawaii’s hepatitis A outbreak.
A Hawaiian Airlines flight attendant is the latest confirmed case in Hawaii’s hepatitis A outbreak.
The state Department of Health on Tuesday afternoon issued a precaution to passengers who were on the following Hawaiian Airlines flights:
• July 31 — Flight HA22 from Honolulu to Seattle.
• Aug. 1 — Flight HA21 from Seattle to Honolulu.
• Aug. 10 — Flight HA18 from Honolulu to Las Vegas.
• Aug. 12 — Flight HA17 from Las Vegas to Honolulu.
The flight attendant served in-flight food and beverages during each of the flights.
The DOH noted in a press release that risk of transmission from the Hawaiian Airlines flights is “extremely low.”
The airline is not the source of the ongoing hepatitis A outbreak, which to date has 206 confirmed cases.
Last week, the DOH identified imported frozen scallops as the likely source, a finding confirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The product since was embargoed statewide.
“This case is a reminder that hepatitis A symptoms can appear up to 50 days after exposure,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park.
“This is why we expect to continue to see cases in coming weeks, and why we need to remain vigilant to prevent further transmission, even though the product has been pulled off the market.”
Visit health.hawaii.gov/docd/hepatitis-a-outbreak-2016/ for more information. Visit hawaiianairlines.com/hepatitisA for more information about the affected flights.