Tennessee’s hepatitis A outbreak has spread to more than 2,200 people and resulted in at least 13 deaths, according to information released by the Tennessee Department of Health Tuesday.
Seven of these deaths were in East Tennessee, where the outbreak has hit the hardest, according to Elizabeth Heart, a state health department spokeswoman. Hart said five more deaths occurred in Middle Tennessee and one was in West Tennessee.
None of the deaths occurred in Nashville, but the outbreak has sickened at least 219 people in the city, said Brian Todd, a county health spokesman.
State officials said the death toll includes all deaths among hepatitis A patients since the outbreak began in December 2017, regardless of if the death was directly attributable to hepatitis A.
‘’The deaths in Tennessee associated with the hepatitis A outbreak are extremely sad,’’ said DR. Lisa Piercey, the Department of Health Commissioner, in a news release.
“The Tennessee Department of Health, metro health departments, jails and many other community partners are working every day to ensure people at high risk of infection with the hep A virus are vaccinated to prevent more illness and save lives.’’
Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by a virus that causes fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, and a yellowing of the eyes and skin, known as jaundice. The infection is most commonly spread through contaminated food and water or close contact with an infected person, particularly anal intercourse. Vaccines have been standard for children for about a decade, but many adults were never immunized, according to the state health department.
OUTBREAK: Hepatitis A spreads quickly and quietly. Nashville’s outbreak is bigger than we know.
Hepatitis A outbreak linked to San Diego, Louisville strain
In recent years, large hepatitis A outbreaks have hit in California, Michigan and Kentucky, infecting hundreds and killing dozens. Tests conducted by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention determined the Nashville outbreak can be tracked back to a virus strain responsible for outbreaks in both San Diego and Louisville.
Tennessee’s outbreak began in December 2017, but it wasn’t publicly announced until last May. Since then, the infection spread through much of the state’s middle and eastern region. In total, 2,257 people have been infected. More than 60 percent of those patients required hospitalization.
More than 570 people caught the virus in Knoxville and the surrounding 15 counties. Another 273 were infected in Chattanooga.
William Schaffner, a renown infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said the hepatitis A virus is particularly difficult to contain because infected people can be contagious for as long as a month before they become visibly sick. Some people never become sick, but still spread the virus.
“That’s why hepatitis A is so very hard to figure out from a public health perspective,” Schaffner said. “You’re always running behind the virus, your always trying to catch up.”
Tennessee’s first death, confirmed to have occurred in East Tennessee, was recorded in November.
State officials have said the most at-risk populations include homeless people, gay and bisexual men and recreational drug users.
“It’s critical for people in these high-risk groups to receive the hepatitis A vaccine to protect themselves and others around them,” said Dr. Michelle Fiscus, who leads the state immunization program. “We know this vaccine is safe and effective.”
Brett Kelman is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at 615-259-8287 or at brett.kelman@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @brettkelman.
Source: Tennessean
