Nashville Hepatitis Update: Outbreak Spreads To Jail

NASHVILLE, TN -- There are now 18 cases of hepatitis A in Davidson County, the Metro Public Health Department announced Friday, including two “detainees at a Davidson County Sheriff’s Office Facility.” These cases date back to December 2017, now designated as the beginning of the current Nashville outbreak.

In response, the health department began offering free vaccinations to illegal drug users, people who are homeless and men who have sex with men, groups that have a higher risk of contracting the liver infection. Now the vaccine will also be offered at the DCSO facility where the two newest patients were housed. Sheriff’s office personnel will also be offered the shots.

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In addition, any detainee being transferred for a court date or other appointment will be tested before leaving the facility and will not leave if they test positive.

Free vaccines are available at all three Health Centers - East at 1015 East Trinity Lane, Lentz at 2500 Charlotte Avenue and Woodbine at 224 Oriel Avenue. The immediate priority is the aforementioned at-risk groups and the health department emphasized that all illicit drug users, not just those who use injectable drugs, are at-risk.

Prior to last week's public notification of the outbreak, Metro Health Director Bill Paul e-mailed Metro's medical community.

"As a local healthcare provider the Metro Public Health Department wants you to know about recent Hepatitis A virus infections affecting men who have sex with men and people who use illicit drugs in Tennessee; there is concern that the outbreak will rapidly spread to people who are homeless," Paul wrote. "Based upon the experience of Kentucky and other states, Nashville is at risk of a significant Hepatitis A outbreak in the coming months."

Hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus. Common symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, jaundice and clay-colored stools. The disease can be severe in some people possibly requiring hospitalization, but most recover completely within a few weeks.
Hepatitis A usually spreads when a person unknowingly ingests the virus from objects, food, or drinks contaminated by small, undetected amounts of stool from an infected person. Hepatitis A can also spread from close personal contact with an infected person such as through sex or caring for someone who is ill.

Image via Centers for Disease Control and Prevention