The old saying is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The efforts by the Ashland-Boyd County Health Department in light of a recent hepatitis outbreak seems to be a little bit of both.

The hepatitis cases in Kentucky and West Virginia continue to grab headlines and worry many consumers who fear they may have been exposed because some of the individuals confirmed with hepatitis allegedly work in the food service industry.

Although less than a dozen people have been confirmed in both states, it is encouraging to see the department respond this way.

In fact this may help pave the way for focused planning and organization in case of a larger epidemic of more dangerous proportions.

All area health departments and health agencies have to be prepared for chemical or biological terrorist attacks or epidemics like swine flu.

Like all disaster or emergency preparedness plans, the best ones are the ones that are never used.

Still, it is never a waste of time to be prepared and work to ensure that as many people as possible can be reached quickly.

This hepatitis outbreak could be far worse if it wasn’t for a little cure and a little prevention.