Hepatitis A Update: October 16, 2017
In an effort to keep the community informed with the latest Hepatitis A information for Sacramento County, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Division of Public Health will be posting weekly updates on the DHHS homepage every Monday. Below is the most recent information:
Public Health hosted multiple meetings with County and City departments to discuss sanitation protocols. These public works departments are in various stages of developing plans for increased access to bathrooms and hand-washing stations.
The first Hepatitis A vaccination clinic was held last week. Public health nurses were able to vaccinate homeless individuals for both Hepatitis A and the flu. Additional clinics are anticipated to take place later this month. Sacramento County Public Health officials are working closely with the California Department of Public Health regarding vaccine supply. Sacramento County has requested 1000 doses for the month of October and anticipates needing 1000 doses every month for the next several months. On October 13, Governor Jerry Brown declared a health emergency, with the intent of increasing access to the vaccinations, so as to make additional supplies available to counties involved in prevention efforts.
The Center for Disease Control is conducting genotyping for reported Hepatitis A cases. Sacramento County Public Health has received genotyping results for several cases; one Sacramento County case has been linked to the Southern California outbreak. This is an individual with travel history to Southern California.
There has been no local transmission of Hepatitis A in Sacramento County, and the risk to the public continues to be low. There is no outbreak of the disease in Sacramento County.
The next Hepatitis A update will be posted on October 23, on the DHHS homepage. For additional general information regarding Hepatitis A, please review the Sacramento County Public Health Frequently Asked Questions and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fact sheet: ABCs of Hepatitis. For information about the Hepatitis A outbreak in Southern California, visit the CDPH’s website https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/Hepatitis-A.aspx.
