With an outbreak of hepatitis A in Kentucky, some local health departments are providing certificates to businesses who have 100 percent of employees vaccinated.

According to nkyhealth.org, more than 2,800 cases have been reported in Kentucky since November 2017, when the Department for Public Health reported a statewide outbreak. Of those cases, 587 were confirmed and 17 deaths have been reported.

Pam Brant, Mason County Health Department clinical coordinator, said she was contacted by the corporate office of a local business after other locations had reports of hepatitis A.

“We’ve not had any businesses report a diagnosis,” she said. “But, we had a corporate office contact us because they were encouraging their locations to have all employees vaccinated. It was the first business in Mason County to do so.”

Brant said in order to receive the certificate, a business must be able to provide proof of an employee’s vaccination.

“Many businesses will come here,” she said. “They tell us how many employees need the vaccination and they’ll come down to receive it. If they don’t receive it here, there will be a record of it and we just need to verify that. Once everyone has been verified, we’ll give the business the certificate.”

Brant said the most important thing to do to keep from contracting hepatitis A is to use proper hygiene.

“Wash your hands,” she said. “Get vaccinated and wash your hands.”

According to Brant, there have been 17 cases since November.

“There have been 10 probable and seven suspected cases,” she said. “That’s through the clinical definition of hepatitis A. We’ve only had three cases since the beginning of February, so we’re hoping that means there is a decline. We’ve also had 265 adult vaccinations in January and February alone. There are other places people can get their vaccinations, but that number is just for the health department.”

Bracken County businesses can also obtain the certificate.

Tony Cox said the health department is not the driving force behind businesses encouraging people to vaccinate, but they do support it.

“There were businesses in other counties doing this,” he said. “We offer a certificate that says the businesses are 100 percent vaccinated, but we, first, need proof of the employee’s vaccinations.”

Cox said there has not been a businesses in Bracken County with a hepatitis A diagnosis.

“There is no scare related to the businesses,” he said. “We’ve not had any diagnosis of hepatitis A at any of our local businesses. This is also not something being required for businesses.”

Though no businesses in Bracken County have reported outbreaks, there have been cases reported in the county.

Since Jan. 1, there have been five cases identified in the county, according to Cox.

“We’d not had any cases and then, suddenly, there are five,” he said. “We’re investigating the rise in cases, but there are a lot of activities that, if people are involved in, we encourage them to get vaccinated. Drug activity, smoking after one another – if you’re sharing a needle or a cigarette, it can raise your chances of being exposed. Of course, it’s not exclusive to that. At the core, hepatitis A is a fecal-oral passing disease.”

Amy Mains, the BCHD preparedness coordinator, said she encourages everyone to wash their hands and get vaccinated.

“We need everyone to be aware of this,” she said. “If you haven’t been vaccinated, we encourage it. Kentucky schools even require it.”

Mains said some of the symptoms of hepatitis A includes fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, vomiting, stomach pain, dark urine, pale or clay colored stool.

“There have been some deaths in Kentucky, but none in Bracken County,” she said. “If you’re showing symptoms, seek medical evaluation. Hepatitis A is not treatable once it’s contracted, but it is preventable. If you contract it, you’ll have to go through the symptoms.”

According to Mains, people who contract hepatitis A are most contagious from two weeks before symptoms begin showing to one week after symptoms disappear.

“Not everyone who is infected will have all the symptoms,” she said. Symptoms usually start within 28 days of exposure to the virus with a range of 15-50 days. Previous infection with hepatitis A provides immunity for the rest of a person’s life. People that are exposed to hepatitis A may be given vaccine or immune globulin within 14 days of exposure to prevent infection.”

Mains said people of all ages should be vaccinated.

“People who should be vaccinated for hepatitis A include all children at age 1; people who are experiencing homelessness; users of recreational drugs, whether injected or not; men who have sexual encounters with other men; people with direct contact with others who have hepatitis A; travelers to countries where hepatitis A is common; people with chronic or long-term liver disease, including hepatitis B or hepatitis C; people with clotting-factor disorders; and family and caregivers of adoptees from countries where hepatitis A is common,” she said.

According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health, as of December 2018, Robertson County had one case, Lewis County had 11 cases and Fleming County had four cases.

Brown County, Ohio had four cases and Adams County, Ohio had two cases, as of Jan. 22, 2019, according to the Ohio Department of Health.

This certificate shows a business is Bracken County is fully vaccinated against Hepatitis A.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/web1_51216176_2184149968275226_924548897953546240_n-1.jpgThis certificate shows a business is Bracken County is fully vaccinated against Hepatitis A. Photo provided by Bracken County Health Department.

Christy Howell-Hoots

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