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.

Hepatitis A is spread by poor hygiene and contact with someone who has the disease.
Symptoms, which include mild fever, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, tiredness, dark urine and jaundice, may not appear until two to six weeks after exposure, Halford said.
The latest cases all occurred since June 23, with five cases confirmed this week. Seven are in Campbell County and one in Scott County. Halford said she did not believe anyone has been hospitalized or at least is currently in the hospital.
“We are not calling it an outbreak right now, but it certainly is a cluster that is concerning to us,” she said.
The source of the April outbreak was never found, though more than 1,200 people who ate at a Waffle House restaurant in Clinton were given free vaccinations.
A 2003 hepatitis A outbreak made more than 300 people ill and was linked to one death in the Knoxville area, North Carolina and Georgia. The source was contaminated green onions from Mexico served in chain restaurants.