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| Credit CDC |
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Since March of 2017 a number of states have reported community outbreaks of Hepatitis A - primarily among those who use injectable or non-injectable drugs, the homeless, and their close direct contacts.
Five months ago, in CDC HAN Advisory On Outbreak of Hepatitis A Virus (HAV) Infections among Drug Users & The Homeless, the CDC reported:
From January 2017 to April 2018, CDC has received more than 2,500 reports of hepatitis A infections associated with person-to-person transmission from multiple states. Of the more than 1,900 reports for which risk factors are known, more than 1,300 (68%) of the infected persons report drug use (injection and non-injection), homelessness, or both.8-11Since then, reports of community-wide outbreaks have continued, and on November 29th the CDC will hold a COCA Call for healthcare providers (Hepatitis A Outbreaks in Multiple States: CDC Recommendations and Guidance).
Date: Thursday, November 29, 2018
Time: 2:00pm-3:00pm (Eastern Time)
Overview
Hepatitis A is a highly contagious, vaccine-preventable, viral disease spread via a fecal-oral route or by exposure to contaminated food or water. Hepatitis A rates have declined substantially in the United States since the introduction of the hepatitis A vaccine in 1996.
However, since early 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has observed an increase in the number of community-wide hepatitis A outbreaks in multiple states. For these outbreaks, CDC recommends vaccination for persons who report drug use (injection and non-injection), persons at high risk for drug use (e.g., participating in drug substitution programs, receiving substance abuse counseling or treatment, recently or currently incarcerated), men who have sex with men, and persons experiencing homelessness.While Hepatitis A infection in a healthy adult usually results in a mild illness of a few week's duration - for some - particularly for those with compromised immune systems, it can be far more serious.
CDC also encourages vaccination in certain settings such as emergency departments and corrections facilities in outbreak-affected areas when feasible. During this COCA call, subject matter experts from CDC will discuss vaccination to stop these outbreaks and current CDC recommendations for the hepatitis A vaccine.
The CDC describes the way the virus spreads as:
Transmission / ExposureFor more on Hepatitis A, the CDC has a webpage:
How is hepatitis A spread?
Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill.
Contamination of food (this can include frozen and undercooked food) by hepatitis A can happen at any point: growing, harvesting, processing, handling, and even after cooking. Contamination of food or water is more likely to occur in countries where hepatitis A is common and in areas where there are poor sanitary conditions or poor personal hygiene. In the United States, chlorination of water kills hepatitis A virus that enters the water supply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) routinely monitors natural bodies of water used for recreation for fecal contamination so there is no need for monitoring for hepatitis A virus specifically.
Hepatitis A Questions and Answers for the Public
