California declares emergency to fight hepatitis A

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday declared a state of emergency to combat a hepatitis A outbreak that has claimed 18 lives in San Diego.

Brown said the federally-funded supply of vaccines is inadequate. His proclamation allows the state to buy vaccines directly from manufacturers and distribute them.

The declaration ‘allows us to move very swiftly,’ Dr. Gil Chavez, epidemiologist at the California Department of Public Health, told reporters. He said the state would place an order Monday or Tuesday and supplies would reach the state soon after.

 

Governor Jerry Brown (pictured on May 11) has declared a state of emergency in California to try and fight a hepatitis A outbreak that has killed 18 people

California has distributed 81,000 federally-funded vaccine doses since the outbreak began and local jurisdictions have acquired more but the supply is insufficient, Chavez said.

California is experiencing the largest hepatitis A outbreak in the United States transmitted from person to person – instead of by contaminated food – since the vaccine became available in 1996. The state says the majority affected are homeless, using drugs or both.

There have been 576 cases throughout California, including 490 in San Diego County, 71 in Santa Cruz County and eight in Los Angeles County. Out of those, 386 people have been hospitalized, including 342 in San Diego, 33 in Santa Cruz and six in Los Angeles. No deaths have been reported outside San Diego County.

LA has the second largest homeless population in the US and they are the most at risk to get the disease

LA has the second largest homeless population in the US and they are the most at risk to get the disease

What is hepatitis A and how can it be treated? 

Hepatitis A is a viral liver disease that can have both minor and severe symptoms for the person infected. 

It is primarily spread when a person who isn’t vaccinated ingests food or water that has been contaminated with feces of an infected individual.

The virus is one of the most frequent causes for foodborne infections.

Symptoms

The incubation period of hepatitis A is normally 15 to 50 days. 

People can experience:

  • Fever
  • Loss of appetite 
  • Diarrhea 
  • Nausea 
  • Dark-colored urine
  • Jaundice 
  • Acute liver failure 

Who is at risk?

Anyone who has not been vaccinated or has never been infected with the hepatitis A virus is at risk. 

Other factors that increase risk include:

  • Poor sanitation
  • Lack of clean water
  • Recreational drug use
  • Living with an infected person or having sexual relations with one
  • Traveling to areas with high risk without a vaccination

Treatment 

There is no specific treatment for hepatitis A. 

It may take some people a couple weeks to a couple months to recover from the symptoms. 

Doctors recommend everyone to get a vaccination to help prevent the risk of getting infected by the virus.  

Source: World of Health

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa on Friday called on the federal government to provide emergency funding to halt the spread of hepatitis A. He said the outbreak has brought statewide totals to three times the number of reported cases in 2015.

‘We cannot wait until more communities are infected and impacted before taking action,’ the San Diego-area Republican wrote to the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a statement, the CDC said it assigned officials to San Diego in May for five weeks to help identify how the infection spread and prevent additional cases. The agency said it continues to advise health care workers and volunteers.

 Vaccinations are the best way to prevent hepatitis A infections, but the CDC reported that fewer than 10 percent of adults over the age of 19 are vaccinated in the United States.

San Diego has vaccinated more than 21,000 people and still seen an increase in those infected. 

San Diego County reported an outbreak in March as it grapples with a growing homeless population. The first cases were traced back to November.

The homeless are considered at high risk for infection because of poor sanitation.

There are nearly 59,000 homeless people living in the LA county – a 23 percent increase since 2016.

Santa Cruz County reported its first cases the following month, and San Diego and Los Angeles counties declared local health emergencies in September.

Last Month, San Diego began installing hand-washing stations in areas like the city’s downtown, Balboa Park, the banks of the San Diego River and at homeless service centers.

The disease is completely preventable with vaccinations, and San Diego county health officials have vaccinated 57,000 people, including homeless people, drug-users and health and social workers that come into close contact with those populations, according to the Los Angeles Times. 

The outbreak was caused by strains of the 1B genetic subtype, which is rare in the United States and more commonly found in the Mediterranean and South Africa. It is spread through contact with feces, putting people with inadequate access to sanitation at highest risk.

In addition to vaccination, frequent handwashing is recommended.

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