Health officials are ramping up education and outreach efforts for hepatitis A after a handful of new cases were reported in Denver recently.
Four people experiencing homelessness in the city have been diagnosed with the disease this year, three of which were identified in last month, according to Denver Public Health (DPH) and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE).
Hepatitis A is a liver infection that can be caused by a virus. It is highly contagious and can cause liver disease that can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, but rarely results in death.
This disease can be spread through fecal-oral contamination, sharing needles, or through intimate contact with someone who is ill. Symptoms include jaundice, nausea, cola-colored urine, and fatigue, DPH said.
“Our short-term response to this outbreak is to increase access to hepatitis A vaccination,” said Dr. Bill Burman, executive director of DPH. “We are working with partners to provide almost daily vaccine clinics where at-risk persons live and get care: Stout Street Health Center, day shelters, syringe access programs, Civic Center Park, our own DPH clinics and many other sites.”
Local agencies are working with law enforcement, homeless shelters, substance-abuse treatment centers and other community partners to combat the outbreak. Since 2017, 3,500 high-risk people in Denver have been vaccinated, according to DPH.
“Longer term, we must work on the reasons why outbreaks of communicable diseases take place,” Burman said. “Those reasons include crowded living conditions, lack of access to primary care, poor nutrition and lack of easy access to hand-washing, showers and other sanitation.
Public health officials are holding a press conference at 10 a.m. Monday to discuss the outbreak in detail, and to elaborate on their approach to addressing it.
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