The Howard County Health Department is asking the state for more hepatitis A vaccines after state health officials Wednesday confirmed the first death in Indiana related to an outbreak of the virus that has infected nearly 4,000 people in 10 states.
Public Health Nurse Karen Long said less than five cases of hepatitis A have been reported in Howard County, and those cases are not considered to be a result of the outbreak, which is occurring mostly in southern Indiana.
The Indiana State Department of Health has confirmed 214 outbreak-related cases since November 2017 in seven counties. Indiana typically sees about 20 cases in a 12-month period.
Long said the Howard County Health Department is now working to be proactive to ensure the outbreak doesn’t spread to Kokomo.
“We want to be as proactive as possible, because we don’t want to be like one of the counties in southern Indiana that has an outbreak,” she said.
The department is currently working on a plan to target county residents who are at risk of contracting hepatitis A, which includes people who use illicit drugs, the homeless, men who have sex with men and those who are incarcerated.
Hepatitis A is also transmitted by consuming contaminated food or water.
More than 70 percent of the individuals diagnosed with hepatitis A in Indiana have reported illicit drug use, while nearly 20 percent have reported being homeless.
In the wake of the outbreak, ISDH has allocated more than $1 million in additional state and federal funds to supply adult vaccines to local health departments, which are working to immunize those who are at risk or who may have come in contact with the disease.
Long said they will submit their immunization plan to the state health department and also request extra doses of the vaccine to administer to those considered at risk. Once they receive the doses, they will take walk-ins and likely set up a mobile clinic to take to areas that are at risk for hepatitis A, such as the jail.
She said the department currently is stocked up on vaccines, which can be purchased for $56. The department can also bill residents’ insurance, which usually cover the full cost of the shot.
The doses received by the state will only be available to uninsured, at-risk residents.
Long said the department is also stepping up efforts to educate agencies or groups about hepatitis A and how it is spread.
The department is encouraging anyone who has not received a vaccine shot to get one immediately, either from the health department, their private physician or at a local pharmacy. Long said if someone isn’t sure if they have had a hepatitis A shot, they can call the health department.
“We’re very concerned about this outbreak, but not panicked,” Long said. “We want to be proactive and preventative and nip this in bud so it doesn’t become a problem in Howard County. The more people who are proactive and get shots, the less chance it will spread from one person to another.”
Indiana law has required a hepatitis A vaccine for school admission since 2014, so most students preparing to enter fourth grade and younger have already been vaccinated.
Anyone who is exhibiting symptoms of hepatitis A should contact a healthcare provider immediately and refrain from preparing food for others.
Symptoms can include fatigue, loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea and jaundice, which usually appear within two months of infection. Individuals can become ill 15 to 50 days after being exposed to the virus. A doctor can determine if someone has hepatitis A with a blood test.