Daytona Beach, FL - The number of reported cases of Hepatitis A in Volusia County continues to rise. Holly Smith, Communications Manager for the Florida Department of Health-Volusia County said that they are sending nurses out into the community to meet with the people in the groups that are at most risk. The groups are people who are recently or currently homeless, those who use street drugs, whether it's IV drugs or other street drugs and also those that are currently or recently incarcerated.
To help those groups, nurses are going to jails to work with inmates before they're discharged and get them vaccinated before they get back out on the street. Nurses are also walking the areas that are frequented by homeless people and/or those using street drugs. The nurses offer vaccinations and education on what causes Hepatitis A and how to not contract the virus by always washing your hands with soap and warm water.
Smith says there's another group that should be vaccinated and that would be those that help the people in the high-risk groups. That could include volunteers at food banks and soup kitchens. It could also include prison guards, drug counselors, and emergency room staff.
The vast majority of the cases come from the three high-risk groups with drugs users making up more than 50 percent of the cases. Smith said that there's a group that's at risk of having serious complications if they contract Hepatitis A. Those would be people who already have some sort of liver disease and elderly people suffering from other issues that make them less able to respond to a virus if they are infected.
Smith said the vaccination comes in two parts - one now and the second shot six to twelve months from now. She said those unable to tolerate the vaccine can be injected with antibodies. They're short-acting and will not protect long term but it will help during the current outbreak.
The Florida Surgeon General declared a public health emergency at the beginning of this month and highly recommends the vaccine. Smith says if you have insurance, it's as simple as going to your pharmacy for a flu or shingles shot, which can be done without a doctor's note. The price for the two shots is $62.50. For those that don't have insurance or can't afford the shots, Smith advises heading to your local health department office where payments are made on a sliding scale.
For more on hepatitis A, visit the state's website.
