East Tennessee Health
April 18, 2005
There are two new confirmed cases of Hepatitis-A stemming from an outbreak in Campbell County.
Doctor Paul Erwin the man in charge of the Health Department probe says there is one new case each from Anderson and Scott counties.
That brings the total number of confirmed cases to 11, with four more cases suspected to be Hepatitis-A.
Doctor Erwin says three victims were hospitalized and one remains there…the victims range in age from their mid 20’s to their mid 30’s.

Doctor Erwin says that the outbreak is not consistant with any food coming into a number of different restaurants…and they are currently interviewing a couple of restaurant workers.
Doctor Erwin stresses that no one should be scared of eating at any Campbell County restaurants because there is absolutely no evidence of any ongoing risk of Hepatitis-A in that area.
WVLT Volunteer TV’s Kelly Cox spoke with health officials about the disease and shows us how to keep it from spreading.
Campbell County is the scene of a growing Hepatitis-A outbreak.
Today the Tennessee Department of Health is conducting private interviews, trying to pinpoint exactly what’s making people sick.
“We’ve been unable to make direct connections between the individuals we’ve confirmed so far,” said Dr. Paul Erwin, the East Tennessee Health Director.
“Three restaurants have been identified by 3 or more of the individuals,” said Dr Erwin.
Hepatitis-A is often spread through human excrement in baby diapers, or food & water when combined with poor hygiene practices.
The disease has a 30-day incubation period before symptoms surface. That makes tracking down the point of origin complicated.
Dr Erwin offers this advice, “For anyone experiencing signs of hepatitis, and that would include; nausea, yellowing of the skin (called jaundice), and dark urine, we would urge them to seek prompt medical attention.”
You may remember the 2003 hepatitis-a outbreak in the knoxville area. More than 60 cases of the disease were traced back to green onions from mexico. One Roane County man allegedly died as a result of the disease.
The Department of Health says the disease is rarely fatal and they are not recommending widespread vaccination.
Since Hepatitis-A is a virus, there is no antibiotic treatment, and the disease is usually allowed to run it’s course.
Doctors say the best way to protect yourself is through routine hand washing.