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Chattanooga experiencing increase in hepatitis A cases

An example of a care kit which includes clean syringes, bandages, sterile wipes and a clean cooking container is demonstrated at Chattanooga CARES on Friday, April 6, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga CARES has implemented the city's first syringe exchange program, which provides clean syringes in exchange for used needles in an effort to reduce HIV and hepatitis infections among intravenous drug users.
An example of a care kit which includes clean syringes, bandages, sterile wipes and a clean cooking container is demonstrated at Chattanooga CARES on Friday, April 6, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga CARES has implemented the city's first syringe exchange program, which provides clean syringes in exchange for used needles in an effort to reduce HIV and hepatitis infections among intravenous drug users. An example of a care kit which includes clean syringes, bandages, sterile wipes and a clean cooking container is demonstrated at Chattanooga CARES on Friday, April 6, 2018, in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga CARES has implemented the city's first syringe exchange program, which provides clean syringes in exchange for used needles in an effort to reduce HIV and hepatitis infections among intravenous drug users.

By Elizabeth Fite 3 min read

Clinic Locations:

Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department, 921 E. 3rd St., Chattanooga, TN, 37403, 423-209-8340Birchwood Health Center, 5625 Hwy 60, Birchwood, TN, 37308, 423-961-0446Homeless Health Care Center, 730 E. 11th St, Chattanooga, TN, 37403, 423- 265-5708Ooltewah Health Center, 5520 High St., Ooltewah, TN, 37363, 423-238-4269Sequoyah Health Center, 9527 West Ridge Trail Road, Soddy-Daisy, TN, 37379, 423-842-3031

Chattanooga is the latest city to be swept up in a multistate outbreak of hepatitis A, a contagious, vaccine-preventable viral infection that damages the liver.

Typically, about one case a year is reported in Hamilton County, but four cases have been reported since early May, according to a notice released Thursday from the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department.

As of June 19, the Tennessee Department of Health had reported 42 cases in the state since Dec. 1, 2017, with the majority of cases – 26 – in the Nashville area and six cases in the mid-Cumberland region. Other states affected include Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Utah and West Virginia.

Health department officials want residents to know of actions they are taking to prevent the spread of the disease, including investigating cases, monitoring for new ones and educating the community.