July 2005

July 20, 2005
KnoxNews
Health officials reported Monday that investigations have found no new or pending cases of hepatitis A in Campbell or Scott counties.
A “cluster” of eight confirmed cases reported since June 23 – seven in Campbell County, one in Scott – were “primarily in two extended families,” said Sandy Halford of East…

July 19, 2005
East Tennessee health officials are still trying to determine the cause of eight more cases of Hepatitis A in the area.
The new cases follow an outbreak ofthe disease in April.
Seven of the cases are in Campbell County and one is in Scott County. All ofthe new cases were reported before…

July 18, 2005
By CATHARYN CAMPBELL
6 News Reporter
JACKSBORO (WATE) — An investigation continues into the recent outbreak of Hepatitis A in Campbell and Scott counties. The eight people infected filled out a questionnaire to help health officials find the source of the virus.
So far, the source is a mystery.
No new cases have been reported since Friday.
Case workers at the Tennessee Regional Health Department are entering the information into a database. They’re looking for a link to grocery stores, restaurants, daycare centers, or even social gatherings where Hepatitis A is easily spread.Continue Reading Investigation continues into latest Hepatitis A outbreak

July 16, 2005
Knox News
Associated Press
A “cluster” of eight confirmed cases of hepatitis A in Campbell and Scott counties may be a lingering effect from a larger outbreak nearly three months ago, health officials said Friday.
“We are aggressively investigating and interviewing each of these cases, just as we did when we had the small outbreak in April, looking for a common source,” said Sandy Halford, spokeswoman for the East Tennessee Regional Health Department.
But health officials noted that several weeks after the April outbreak of 23 cases in Campbell, Anderson and Scott counties, some second-generation infections occurred. They now wonder if the latest illnesses may be a third generation.Continue Reading Hepatitis A cases raise concerns: Health officials look into link with earlier outbreak in April

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Bill Marler
206-794-5043 or bmarler@marlerclark.com
SEATTLE (July 15, 2005) — Two East Tennessee counties, Campbell and Scott, have reported an increased incidence of hepatitis A cases for the second time this year. The East Tennessee Regional Health Department has confirmed eight cases of hepatitis A since June 25, and the Health Department is working to determine the source of a potential outbreak. In April, 2005, 23 cases were confirmed in Campbell, Scott, and Anderson counties, but health officials were unable to pinpoint the source of the earlier outbreak.
Hepatitis A is a virus that primarily infects the liver. Symptoms of infection may not appear for 15-50 days after exposure to the virus. They include muscle aches, headache, loss of appetite, abdominal discomfort, fever, and malaise. After a few days of initial symptoms, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes) sets in. In rare cases, the hepatitis A virus causes liver failure and impairs the infected person’s cognitive functioning.
“Ideally, outbreaks would be prevented by vaccination against hepatitis A,” said William Marler, a Seattle attorney with a law practice dedicated to representing victims of foodborne illness. “I’ve represented hundreds of people in the last two years who either became ill with, or were exposed to, the hepatitis A virus. Some have had liver transplants, or even died after suffering from acute hepatitis A infection.” The CDC estimates that at least 100 people die each year after suffering from hepatitis A-induced liver failure.Continue Reading Hepatitis A in East Tennessee: Attorneys urge public to receive vaccination to prevent hepatitis A infection

A woman who asked 6 News not to use her name said she was one of the confirmed Hepatitis A cases in Campbell County.
July 15, 2005
KNOXVILLE (WATE) — Health authorities in two East Tennessee counties are reporting eight confirmed cases of Hepatitis A.
Seven of the case are in Campbell County, with one in Scott County.
The Regional Health Department told 6 News five of the cases were just confirmed this week. The first was discovered June 25.
So far, no common source linking these cases has been found. It is possible the recent cases are linked to the Hepatitis A outbreak 6 News was first to report in April.Continue Reading New Hepatitis A outbreak reported in Campbell, Scott counties

July 15, 2005
Regional Health Department, Knoxville (WVLT) – Just about three months after an outbreak of the Hepatitis-A virus in Campbell County, many folks now are wondering if it’s spreading again.
Eight new cases since June 23rd have health officials taking a serious look at the situation.
Volunteer TV’s Kim Bedford has the latest on the cases.
Volunteer TV News spoke with the East Tennessee Regional Health Department earlier, and officials there tell us seven Campbell County residents and one Scott County resident have contracted the Hepatitis-A virus since June 23rd.Continue Reading New cases of Hepatitis-A in Campbell, Scott

Wednesday, July 13, 2005
By Brad Wible
Los Angeles Times
The rate of hepatitis A infections in the United States has shrunk by 76 percent since the beginning of a vaccination program in 1999 targeting children in 17 high-risk states, federal researchers reported today.
The program has driven the rate of infection down to 2.6 cases per 100,000 people, or 7,653 cases, in 2003, the latest year for which figures are available. That is the lowest rate since monitoring of the disease began in the 1960s, according to the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Continue Reading Vaccine drives down hepatitis A infections

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Cases of hepatitis A have fallen by 76 percent in the United States since children in communities with the highest rates of the disease were targeted for vaccination in recent years, a study said on Tuesday.
In the 1980s and 1990s, 26,000 cases of hepatitis A were reported to public health officials each year, a fraction of the cases that probably occurred but were not reported because many victims do not have symptoms, the study said.
More than half of the estimated infections of the disease — which can cause flu-like symptoms and jaundice — occurred in children, the study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.Continue Reading Hepatitis A Cases Fall

By ELISE COMTOIS, Sun Staff
It’s only July, and hepatitis A cases in New Hampshire are already double the normal number.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease that can cause a person to be ill for months. There have been 48 cases of the virus reported this year, much higher than the normal 15 or 20 per year.
While the hardest hit area seems to be Merrimack County, with a total of 21
hepatitis A cases, southern New Hampshire hasn’t escaped the outbreak.Continue Reading Hepatitis A cases on rise in N.H.