Hepatitis A Infections in Tucson Area Rise To 34 Cases

TUCSON, AZ — An outbreak of Hepatitis A in Pima County continues to worsen, officials say, with four times the amounts of cases normally seen at this point in the year.

Twenty people have tested positive for the virus in 2019, surpassing the annual totals of four cases in the past five years. Since November, when the outbreak officially began, 27 of the 34 people who tested positive were hospitalized.

Health officials say the homeless and intravenous drug users are the populations most at risk. Right now, advocates are trying to reach those groups with vaccines and services.

“We are taking action to get ahead of this; to stop this infectious disease from continuing to spread,” said Dr. Carlos Perez-Velez, Health Department Deputy Chief Medical Officer. “With the continued support and cooperation of partners throughout the community, we have been able to provide more and more hepatitis A virus vaccinations to the vulnerable residents at high risk.”

The Health Department urges all people at risk, especially people experiencing homelessness and those who are using (or trying to quit using) illicit drugs to get vaccinated against hepatitis A.

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable infectious disease that can damage the liver. Infected people shed the virus in their stool in high concentrations from two to three weeks before to one week after onset of clinical illness, and thereby spread the virus during this time. They often carry it on poorly washed hands. It spreads to others when they swallow invisible amounts of the virus through food, drink, sexual activity or after touching contaminated objects.

While proper hand-washing can prevent spread of infection, vaccination provides long-term protection against the virus. Although the hepatitis A vaccine is routinely given to children as part of the recommended vaccination schedule, most adults have not been vaccinated.

Anyone can receive the vaccine, but it is especially recommended for:

• People who are experiencing homelessness
• People who use injection and non-injection illicit drugs
• People who are traveling to countries where hepatitis A is common
• Men who have sex with men
• People who have been recently incarcerated
• People who live with, or have sex with, someone who has hepatitis A
• People with chronic liver disease, such as cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis B or hepatitis C

In addition to getting vaccinated, people should:

• Wash their hands with soap and water after going to the bathroom and before eating or making food
• Avoid having sex with anyone who has hepatitis A
• Not share towels, toothbrushes, eating utensils, food, drinks, smokes or drug “works” with others

Hepatitis A symptoms include jaundice, fatigue, stomach pain, nausea and diarrhea. People can be contagious for two weeks before, and one week after, symptoms appear, and unknowingly spread the virus.

Rarely, the virus can cause liver failure and death – especially in persons with impaired immune systems or chronic liver disease.

A blood test is the most common way to confirm hepatitis A, so people who think they have any of these symptoms should contact their healthcare provider or urgent care center.

For more information about hepatitis A infection and where to get the HAV vaccine, visit www.pima.gov/hep-a or call (520) 724-7797.