|
From: |
Health District 3 - Southwest District Health (PHD3) |
|
Sent: |
8/1/2019 12:50:39 PM |
|
To: |
District Director (PHD3), Epidemiologist (PHD3), Family Health Director (PHD3), Community Health Director (PHD3), Environmental Health Director (PHD3), BT Program Manager (PHD3), Immunization Program Coordinator (PHD3), Food Program Coordinator (PHD3), Public Information Officer (PHD3), Primary Care Provider (PHD3), Specialist, Non-Primary Care (PHD3), Nurse (PHD3), Board of Health (PHD3), Cardiology (PHD3), Contract Physcians / Pharmacists (PHD3), County Commissioners (PHD3), Dermatology (PHD3), Emergency Medicine (PHD3), Family Medicine (PHD3), Gastroenterology (PHD3), General Practice (PHD3), Internal Medicine (PHD3), Laboratories (PHD3), Licensed Practical Nurse (PHD3), Medical Assistants (PHD3), Medical Reserve Corp (PHD3), Mental Health (PHD3), Military Public Health (PHD3), Neighboring Out-of-State Jurisdictions (PHD3), Neurology (PHD3), Nurse Practitioner (PHD3), OB / GYN (PHD3), Oncology (PHD3), Ophthalmology (PHD3), Orthopedics (PHD3), Other (PHD3), Pathology (PHD3), Pediatrics (PHD3), Physician Assistant, Primary Care (PHD3), Podiatry (PHD3), Psychiatry / Psychology (PHD3), Public Health Nurse (PHD3), Pulmonary (PHD3), Radiology (PHD3), Registered Nurse (PHD3), Satellite Offices (PHD3), Surgeons (PHD3), Urology (PHD3), Infection Control Practitioners (PHD3), Administration (PHD3), Nurses (PHD3), School (PHD3), Correctional Facilities (PHD3), Day Care Facilities (PHD3), Infectious Disease Physician (PHD3), PHD_Test (PHD3), Employee Health (PHD3), Infection Preventionist (PHD3), Homeless Shelters (PHD3), Substance Abuse Rehabilitation (PHD3) |
|
Subject: |
HEPATITIS A ADVISORY |
|
|
HEALTH ALERT NETWORK
HEALTH DISTRICT 3
HEPATITIS A ADVISORY FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS
Southwest District Health (SWDH) Urges Providers to Watch for Hepatitis A and Vaccinate Those at Risk as Idaho’s Hepatitis A Outbreak Grows
August 1, 2019
The hepatitis A outbreak in Southwest Idaho continues with 34 cases reported in 2019. Nine cases have been reported in Canyon and Owyhee counties while neighboring Ada and Elmore counties report 21 cases. Please test patients with clinically compatible signs and symptoms and vaccinate those at increased risk.
Prevention
Vaccination is the best way to prevent hepatitis A. The hepatitis A vaccine is routinely recommended for children. It is also recommended for adults wishing to obtain immunity or who are at higher risk for infection or severe disease. Adults in the high risk group include:
-People living homeless
-People who use street drugs (injection and non-injection)
-Men who have sex with men
-People with chronic liver disease
-International travelers
To help prevent further spread, SWDH recommends routinely offering vaccine to patients in high risk groups. SWDH is currently offering hepatitis A vaccine to all adults and free vaccine to patients in the high risk group. Patients may call 208-455-5345 to make an appointment.
Symptoms and Laboratory Testing
Consider hepatitis A in patients with fatigue, fever, headache, joint pain, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stool, jaundice and/or elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels. The symptoms of hepatitis A are indistinguishable from those caused by other types of acute viral hepatitis.
Recommended testing includes liver enzymes (ALT, AST), total bilirubin, and acute viral hepatitis testing with hepatitis A IgM, hepatitis B core IgM, hepatitis B surface antigen, and hepatitis C antibody. Please note, hepatitis A total antibody does not distinguish acute infection from past infection or immunity, so it is not recommended.
Please contact SWDH Communicable Disease Control at (208) 455-5442 to report suspect and confirmed cases of hepatitis A.
# # # #
|