The Erwin Record
12/28/04
By Rebekah Harris — Staff Writer
Following an outbreak earlier this year in which hundreds of Unicoi County students were inoculated against hepatitis A, the Tennessee Department of Health will offer a free second round of vaccinations Jan. 11-13 to local students.
Dr. Lawrence Moffatt of the Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Department is urging the 1,600 to 1,700 students vaccinated after an outbreak here in June to get their second and final shots.
While Moffatt said the second shots won’t guarantee protection, they will heavily boost the odds against the students contracting hepatitis A.

“After the first shot,” he said, “they were about 95 percent protected, and some will have a better response to the vaccination than others. One can generalize that the first shot provides a high level of protection, but the second shot is a booster.”
Moffatt added that by getting the second round of shots, students will help prevent the spread of any hepatitis A that might still be lingering in Unicoi County.
“This is really important, I think, because they’re going to be better protected,” Moffatt said. “If they weren’t fully protected by the first shot, that 5 or 10 percent could spread it to others, especially in sub-clinical cases.”
He explained that the outbreak in June likely occurred through sub-clinical cases, meaning that children, who are known not to show many hepatitis A symptoms, could have spread the virus to others.
“To keep this from spreading,” Moffatt said, “they need to get the second shot. I hope they will. So much of the time, after an outbreak dies down, parents relax and don’t follow up.”
The Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Department is making every effort to notify the public that the second shots are needed. Notices of the upcoming vaccinations will be provided to the Unicoi County school system for distribution to parents, Moffatt said.
“We are sending out notices to parents through the school children,” Moffatt said. “We have contacted (Director of Schools) Denise Brown and let her know our plans. We are preparing a form and are delivering it to the director’s office and, persumably, she or someone she appoints will pass those along.” Attempts by The Erwin Record to reach Brown Monday were unsuccessful.
Moffatt said the health department also will be posting notices at churches and community buildings.
While the second vaccinations will be provided without charge, the first shots will be available for a charge to students who did not receive them in June.
Vaccinations will be given at the Tennessee Army National Guard Armory, 615 South Main Ave., from noon until 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 11-13.
Those requesting the first shot of the hepatitis A vaccine should call the health department at 743-9103 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule an appointment. Parents who cannot accompany their children to the clinic must send permission slips.
The Northeast Tennessee Regional Health Department confirmed 25 cases of hepatitis A during the June outbreak. After the vaccination campaign was implemented by the health department earlier this year, no new cases were identified in Unicoi County.