State coordinates response to hepatitis A outbreak

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has activated a system intended to coordinate the responses of multiple jurisdictions responding to a hepatitis A outbreak.

 The Community Health Emergency Coordination Center is intended to help support local health departments, hospitals, EMS, healthcare coalitions and healthcare providers.

There have been 457 confirmed cases of hepatitis A, including 18 fatalities, since Aug. 1 in Detroit and Huron, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Sanilac, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.

Hepatitis scare could 'happen at any establishment'

Algonac restaurant employee infected with hepatitis A

The St. Clair County Health Department had two hepatitis A immunization clinics in Algonac after discovering that an employee at the Flaming Grill restaurant was ill with the disease.

The state support includes responding to requests for health-related resources and developing and distributing guidelines and educational materials.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is urging all healthcare providers in the state, not just in southeast Michigan and the Thumb, to promote hepatitis vaccination to the people at highest risk including:

• Persons with a history of substance use­­
• Persons currently homeless or in transient living
• Men who have sex with men
• Persons incarcerated in correctional facilities
• Food handlers
• Healthcare workers
• Persons with underlying liver disease
• Persons who are in close contact with any of the above risk groups
• Persons wishing to be immune to hepatitis A

"We know that the hepatitis A vaccine is more than 90 percent effective in protecting someone who may be exposed to hepatitis A," said Dr. Eden Wells, chief medical executive with the MDHHS, in a news release. "Without a single source associated with these cases, the importance of vaccination and proper hygiene is vital to ensuring we stop the person-to-person spread of hepatitis A." 

Because of a temporary shortage of adult hepatitis A vaccine, the state is recommending that healthcare providers postpone giving a second dose of the vaccine unless people need the second dose to address high-risk situations, such as travel to a country where hepatitis A is endemic.

The state said there is no shortage of the pediatric vaccine for ages 18 and younger and it should be administered routinely.

The state also has issued a message through the Health Alert Network encouraging healthcare providers across Michigan to be on the alert for hepatitis A infection in high risk individuals.

MDHHS and local public health officials are investigating cases as they are identified, and are notifying the healthcare community and encouraging providers to speak with their patients about hepatitis A, increase vaccinations, and test for hepatitis A when appropriate. These activities include:

• On Sept. 18, the state Medicaid program issued a letter to healthcare providers about the outbreak, testing information, including prevention, testing, and treatment information. This letter was sent to 5,069 Medicaid-enrolled providers and another 11,758 providers and interested parties signed up for Medicaid updates.
• There are ongoing vaccination campaigns in jails, substance use treatment centers, health departments, emergency departments, and homeless centers, as well as with the Michigan Department of Corrections, to reach highest risk individuals.
• Supported by contracted nurses from the Visiting Nurse Association, MI Volunteer Registry volunteers, MDHHS,and local health departments are partnering with community organizations to provide hepatitis A vaccine to at-risk individuals.

More information about the hepatitis A outbreak in Michigan and current recommendations are available at www.michigan.gov/hepatitisAoutbreak. Residents are being encouraged to contact their local health departments for more information or vaccination.

Concerned people can contact the St. Clair County Health Department at (810) 987-5300 Monday through Friday during business hours, or their healthcare provider, or visit www.scchealth.co. Follow the health department on social media, @scchealth.

Prevention tips include:

• Get a hepatitis A vaccination
• Wash hands after using the restroom and before preparing meals
• Use your own towels, toothbrushes and eating utensils
• Don't have sex with someone who is infected with hepatitis A
• Do not share food, drinks, drugs or smokes with other people
• If you think you have hepatitis A, see your doctor
• If you have hepatitis A, contact the health department

A hepatitis A fact sheet is at www.stclaircounty.org/Offices/health/forms/FactSheets/Hepatitis%20A.pdf.