NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — At least 14 people have contracted hepatitis A in Tennessee’s largest city in the last six months.
The Tennessean reports Nashville’s Metro Public Health Department is offering free vaccines beginning Tuesday at three public health centers.
The newspaper reported the city likely does not have enough vaccines to meet demand. The department has about 1,150 doses. A clinic that will help the city distribute the vaccines says that is enough to cover less than 5 percent of the at-risk population.
Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a virus but it can spread through close contact with an infected person. Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and dark urine. An outbreak in Kentucky recently spread to more than 440 people. Four people died.
Hepatitis A has been in the news lately. We want to help everyone understand exactly how it's spread, the symptoms, who's at risk and how to prevent the spread. #HepatitisA #HepA pic.twitter.com/ge1I3kHeXp
— TN Dept. of Health (@TNDeptofHealth) May 29, 2018