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Thursday, November 29, 2018

Bloggytown

Florida Department of Health is urging people to get the hepatitis A vaccine

Posted By Lora Korpar on Thu, Nov 29, 2018 at 1:52 PM

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Photo via Adobe Images

The Florida Department of Health issued a public health advisory on Wednesday to warn Floridians about hepatitis A, which is on the rise in the Orlando and Tampa Bay metro areas.

According to the advisory, since January 2018, there have been 385 cases of the hepatitis A virus in Florida, a dramatic increase from the previous five-year average of 126 cases.

Hepatitis A is a liver infection that can last anywhere from a few weeks to several months. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and joint pain.

Though in most cases it passes and is not deadly, it is best prevented with the vaccine.

The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices listed these groups as the most at-risk for infection and recommended for vaccination:

All children at age 1 year

Persons who are at increased risk for infection

Persons who are at increased risk for complications from HAV

Users of injection and non-injection drugs

Persons who are homeless

Men who have sex with men

Persons who have chronic liver disease

Persons traveling to or working in countries that have high or intermediate endemicity of HAV

Persons who have clotting-factor disorders

Household members and other close personal contacts of adopted children newly arriving from countries with high or intermediate HAV endemicity

Persons having direct contact with persons who have HAV.

For more information on the hepatitis A vaccine, click here.

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Tags: hepatitis A, hepatitis A vaccine, Florida Department of Health, Image

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