The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is offering a vaccine against Hepatitis A after state officials see an outbreak, particularly in southeast Missouri.
Health departments are scrambling to stay on top of the outbreak, which has so far reached a tally of 414 cases in 35 Missouri counties over the past two years, according to the Department of Health and Senior Services. Of those cases, DHSS says more than half have required hospitalization and two people have died.
State officials say the disease appears to be spreading through person-to-person contact, mostly through people who use illicit drugs and people in close contact with them.
But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says several additional populations are considered at-risk for Hep A, including people who:
- are homeless
- work or have been in a jail
- are in treatment or counseling for substance abuse
- are men who have sex with men
- participate in drug court, or
- have close contact with the above at-risk groups
Here in Springfield, at-risk populations qualify for a vaccine at no cost through the health department—and so do people who are uninsured, or whose insurance does not cover vaccines.
The Springfield-Greene County Health Department says residents can get a walk-in vaccine on Wednesdays from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at 227 East Chestnut Expressway. Those vaccines will be offered free of charge through September 15, officials say.
Hepatitis A is a viral infection of the liver that usually spreads when a person ingests the virus from contaminated objects.
Vaccination, along with careful hand-washing, are recommended as the best ways to prevent the spread of Hepatitis A.
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