Hep A outbreak

With three reported cases of Hepatitis A, Etowah County is the latest North Alabama county to hit “outbreak” status, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.

Dr. Karen Landers, district medical officer for the ADPH, said the numbers will be updated at 4 p.m. Wednesday, and she expects them to go up.

Hepatitis A is a contagious, vaccine-preventable liver infection that is spread in the feces of infected people, according to the ADPH website.

Landers said Etowah’s numbers are well below those in Jackson County, with 26 cases, and DeKalb County, with 22.

While being considered an outbreak county may be alarming, she said it will make the county eligible for free vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which should make it easier for some of the at-risk demographics to get vaccinations.

The outbreak is occurring among at-risk populations, Landers said — substance abusers and homeless people.

Fortunately, Landers said, people in the early 2000s started receiving Hepatitis A vaccines as part of the recommended schedule for children.

“Most children, even some young adults have been vaccinated,” she said.

Better still for Etowah County, Landers said, is the network of support agencies to reach out to the people at greatest risk.

When the DeKalb County cases started cropping up, she said representatives from Etowah County organizations started attending the education meetings with ADPH.

“They recognized that people move from one county to the next,” Landers said, and they wanted to get out ahead of the migration of the illness.

“I’ve been very impressed,” she said, with the response of those groups who can work to reach out to those at risk, to encourage them to get vaccinated.

Insurance and Medicaid should cover the cost of the vaccine at private doctors’ offices and at some pharmacies that offer it, Landers said. The health department should have vaccine for those without insurance or Medicaid.

Landers said there likely will be an effort to go to the at-risk populations, to provide vaccinations.

She said she recalled the day the outbreak was reported — Dec. 26, 2018 — because it was her birthday.

Landers said the state worked to “get in front of this” and will continue to work to educate people about vaccinations and avoiding Hepatitis A.

“We’ve managed to keep the numbers from being higher,” she said, through education and reaching out to those at risk.

According to the ADPH website, people should always wash their hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom, after changing diapers and before preparing any meals. Symptoms of Hepatitis A usually occur 28 days after getting the virus and may include:

• Fever

• Dark urine

• Feeling tired

• Pale stools

• Decreased appetite

• Joint pain

• Nausea and/or vomiting

• Yellowing of skin or eyes (Jaundice)

• Stomach pain or discomfort