ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — An outbreak of Hepatitis A across the Tampa Bay area has local health departments sounding the alarm and taking action: In Pinellas County, they’ve begun offering free vaccinations to the public.
Epidemiologists were at the Pinellas County jail Tuesday working to get inmates protected.
Local health officials say the spike in new cases might be related to the opioid epidemic and many of the new cases have been men between 30-50 years old who are drug users or homeless.
Hepatitis A is extremely contagious and those who are sick could potentially infect others normally not at high risk.
The virus can be easily spread through feces, and that’s why good hygiene and hand washing is so important. But you can’t control what other people do, so the Florida Department of Health is urgently working to get people vaccinated to slow down the disease's progress and get the outbreak under control.
“We’re very concerned because Hep A is so contagious,” said Maggie Hall of the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County. “You don’t know where you’re going to get it.
"You can’t guarantee you won’t touch a surface that’s infected or shake someone’s hands that had a bowel movement and didn’t wash their hands.”
For those who don’t know if they’re vaccinated or not: Since about 2005, most children have been getting vaccinated for Hepatitis A on a regular basis at age 1.
If you’re an adult, there’s a chance you were not vaccinated or might need a booster.
If you’re not sure, check with your doctor who can give you a test to check your level of immunity.
Bottom line: If you’re in a high-risk group or not, experts say you could potentially be at risk and the best way to protect yourself is through vaccination.
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