California / Hepatitis A Outbreak 2017

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PrairieWind said:
I guess I am confused as to why this is more prevalent among gay men. Hep A can be spread just from casual contact, not necessarily sexual activity. Is there some reason this demographic is more at risk?
Click to expand...

Type of sexual activity?
 
San Diego extends hepatitis A emergency as outbreak reportedly slows
http://www.10news.com/news/san-diego-extends-hepatitis-a-emergency-as-outbreak-reportedly-slows

"SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diego's outbreak of hepatitis A appears to be slowing after more than two months, county health officials said Tuesday.

San Diego County has topped 100,000 hepatitis A vaccinations, the San Diego County Health and Human Service Agency announced. In a presentation to the*county Board of Supervisors, health officials said there had been a downward trend in new cases over the past 11 weeks, with only two new cases added since the last report."
 
"The board*also extended the region's health emergency, as it has been required to do every two weeks since the first declaration on Sept. 1.

As of Nov. 8, there have been 546 cases hepatitis A, requiring 369 hospitalizations and resulting in 20 deaths. Of the more than 100,000 vaccinations given,*more than 84,000 have gone to at-risk populations.

Since Nov. 1, cases increased in six zip codes: 92009 (+1), 92058 (+2), 92108 (+1), 92109 (+1), 92113 (+1), 92128 (+1). In five zip codes, cases decreased: 91910 (-1), 91911 (-1), 91942 (-1), 92037 (-1), 92103 (-2)."

http://www.10news.com/news/san-diego-extends-hepatitis-a-emergency-as-outbreak-reportedly-slows
 
Doctorate students tackling Hepatitis A outbreak with innovation
http://www.10news.com/news/doctorate-students-tackling-hepatitis-a-outbreak-with-innovation

"The team eventually figured out that they could layer the shrink wrap, iron the edges and turn it into plastic bags which could be used as hygiene bags for the homeless.

Wodarczyk says their main goal is to bring awareness to the fact that there are not enough accessible bathrooms in San Diego. They hope companies will be inspired to try and tackle the problem in an innovative way."
 
Hep A is spread by contact with feces. The homeless are defecating wherever. Gays and bi people practice anal sex. That's why these groups are at higher risk.
 
From 11/21/17:

Hepatitis A outbreak continues to add cases but not deaths
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-no-hepatitis-update-20171121-story.html

"The official case total for San Diego’s long-running hepatitis A outbreak increased seven Tuesday though the death total remained unchanged at 20 for another week, according to the latest update from the county Health and Human Services agency.

Now at 553, the case tally does not include 31 suspected but not-yet-confirmed cases, 12 of which were referred to the public health department in the last week, according to a county spokesman.

That’s four more cases than the eight referred two weeks ago, indicating that while the outbreak is no longer generating 20 or more new cases per week as it did from May to early September, the region’s current hepatitis A emergency is not yet over."

*o/t, fires are currently raging in Southern California, including San Diego county.
WS Link: http://www.websleuths.com/forums/sh...odes-to-31-000-Acres-150-Structures-Destroyed

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From 10/31/17:

"Relapse is a known occurrence with hepatitis A. Medical literature indicates that the virus comes back after appearing to be vanquished in between 3 percent and 20 percent of cases."

20th death reported in San Diego's hepatitis A outbreak
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-me-hepatitis-update-20171031-story.html

******

"Hepatitis A is typically rare in the U.S. Last year there were only 23 cases of hepatitis A in Colorado. As of Oct. 20, Colorado had 58 reported cases of hepatitis A, state epidemiologist Rachel Herlihy said.

“Of these, two cases have occurred in people experiencing homelessness. Both these cases are linked to the ongoing outbreak in San Diego,” she said."

Two Colorado hepatitis cases linked to San Diego
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-me-hepatitis-colorado-20171031-story.html
 
Tents considered blessing for homeless in San Diego
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/homelessness-grips-san-diego-hepatitis-high-rents-51636641

"Like other major cities all along the West Coast, San Diego is struggling with a homeless crisis. In a place that bills itself as "America's Finest City," renowned for its sunny weather, surfing and fish tacos, spiraling real estate values have contributed to spiraling homelessness, leaving more than 3,200 people living on the streets or in their cars.

Most alarmingly, the explosive growth in the number of people living outdoors has contributed to a hepatitis A epidemic that has killed 20 people in the past year — the worst U.S. outbreak of its kind in 20 years. Deplorable sanitary conditions help spread the liver-damaging virus that lives in feces."

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San Diego opens giant tent to contain hepatitis outbreak
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/12/07/san-diego-hepatitis-a-outbreak-homeless/

"SAN DIEGO — San Diego on Friday opened the first of three industrial-sized tents to house the homeless as part of the city’s efforts to contain a hepatitis A outbreak stemming from the deplorable conditions people were living in on the streets."
 
""Some of the most vulnerable are dying in the streets in one of the most desirable and livable regions in America," a San Diego County grand jury wrote in its report in June — reiterating warnings it gave the city repeatedly over the past decade to better address homelessness.

San Diego has struggled to do that. Two years ago, Mayor Kevin Faulconer, a moderate Republican, closed a downtown tent shelter that operated for 29 years during winter months. He promised a "game changer" — a new, permanent facility with services to funnel people to housing.

But it wasn't enough.

The result? Legions of Californians without shelter. A spreading contagion. Endless political disputes over what can and should be done — and mounting bills for taxpayers. Struggling schools and other institutions. And an extraordinary challenge to the city's sunny identity that threatens its key tourism industry.

For now, San Diego again is turning to tents. The campground where the Wades lived was only temporary; this month, officials are opening three industrial-sized tents that will house a total of 700 people.

There are plans afoot to build less-makeshift housing. But to deal with the immediate emergency and operate the giant tents, the city had to take $6.5 million that had been budgeted for permanent homes."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/vulnerable-dying-americas-finest-city-51636167
 
"Tests connected it to an outbreak in San Diego that killed 20 people and sickened hundreds more, said Salt Lake County Health Department spokesman Nicholas Rupp. It was the worst epidemic of its kind in the US in 20 years. California officials have said the San Diego epidemic has eased but is not over yet.

Utah officials believe the disease spread as people moved between homeless centers in the two states, Rupp said. Utah has confirmed 152 cases so far and no deaths have been reported."

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/officials-utah-hepatitis-outbreak-spread-san-diego-52269652

******

Health department fields hundreds of calls about possible hepatitis A exposures in Spanish Fork
http://fox13now.com/2018/01/10/heal...ssible-hepatitis-a-exposures-in-spanish-fork/

"SPANISH FORK, Utah -- The phones have been ringing off the hook at the Utah County Health Department, and the phone will probably keep ringing because potentially*thousands of Utah County customers could be exposed to hepatitis A."

Snip

""It's definitely tied to the homeless population and the incarcerated population—tied to coming out of California, the San Diego area into Salt Lake.""
 
Important Information about Hepatitis A in San Diego
https://www.sandiego.org/articles/hepatitis.aspx

"Recently, San Diego has been in the news due to a rise in the number of cases of Hepatitis A. The health and safety of visitors to San Diego is the highest priority for the San Diego Tourism Authority (SDTA), our partners and the local tourism industry. As such, the San Diego Tourism Authority is committed to providing travelers with current, accurate information about traveling to the region safely.

Traveling to San Diego is very safe, and the risk to the general population is extremely low. The current Hepatitis A outbreak has primarily affected San Diego’s homeless populations and/or illicit drug users. The County of San Diego and City of San Diego are currently taking steps to mitigate the spread of the illness, and the SDTA has confidence in the response efforts of our local authorities to combat the spread of this and any other infections.

Handwashing stations are being added near homeless encampments.The City of San Diego has begun sanitizing streets and will be keeping public restrooms in high traffic areas open 24 hours a day.Three new homeless shelter facilities are planned to provide high-risk populations access to clean, safe housing and washing facilities.The County of San Diego has been increasing efforts to vaccinate target populations as well as those who come in contact with them. To date, more than 90,000 people have been vaccinated by the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency.

Good hygiene such as thorough hand washing or using hand sanitizer should always be practiced while traveling. Vaccines are available to prevent Hepatitis A as well."
 
San Diego's hepatitis A outbreak hits milestone: No new cases in two weeks
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-no-hepa-update20180110-story.html

"Dr. Eric McDonald, chief of the county’s Epidemiology and Immunization Services Branch, confirmed in an email Thursday afternoon that it’s the first time since San Diego’s hepatitis A outbreak was detected in March that the region has gone a week without outbreak tallies growing."

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Hepatitis A update: Outbreak shrinks by one case
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/sd-no-hepa-latest-20180116-story.html

"It was the second week in a row that the outbreak case total did not increase, supporting the idea that emergency measures, such as hand-washing stations and portable toilets placed in many communities, may no longer be necessary.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors, which declared the emergency on Sept. 1, plans to address whether or not to end the emergency in a meeting in late January."
 
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