Fighting Illini Confront Hepatitis A Outbreak

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has launched an aggressive vaccination program to prevent hepatitis A outbreaks in Illinois.

The IDPH said in a press release they are working with almost two dozen health departments throughout Illinois to make the hepatitis A vaccine readily available.

Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D., IDPH Director said: “To help prevent people in Illinois from getting hepatitis A, we have requested large numbers of hepatitis A vaccines from the CDC.”

“That vaccine is being delivered to numerous local health departments across Illinois and be available for ‘free or a reduced cost’ for people at the greatest risk of becoming infected,” said Dr. Shah.

This vaccination program is a proactive approach to limit the reach of the ongoing hepatitis A outbreak in the central USA.

On June 11, 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory to public health departments, healthcare facilities, and public health programs with an update about the outbreaks and guidance to assist in identifying and preventing new infections.

According to the CDC, from January 2017 to April 2018, there have been more than 2,500 reports of hepatitis A infections from multiple states.

Currently, the states of Arkansas, California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, and West Virginia are reporting widespread hepatitis A outbreaks.

IDPH is not currently reporting any hepatitis A outbreaks in Illinois.

According to the CDC, hepatitis A is a vaccine-preventable, communicable disease of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV).

The hepatitis A vaccine is given in two doses, six months apart.

Most pharmacies in the USA offer hepatitis vaccines. To request a vaccination appointment, please visit this page.

The CDC Vaccine Price List displays current HAV vaccine contract prices and general information.   

And, vaccine discounts can be found here.

Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of vaccines to the FDA or CDC.

For more information regarding this announcement, please visit the IDPH website.