Update — Friday, October 13, 2017 

California Governor Jerry Brown has issued an emergency proclamation to combat the hepatitis A outbreak. To date, there have been 576 cases throughout California: 490 in San Diego County, 71 cases in Santa Cruz County; 13 cases in Los Angeles County; and 7 cases elsewhere in the state. The state’s emergency proclamation allows state health officials to increase supplies of vaccines for distribution. A majority of cases have been related to exposure among people who are experiencing homelessness; the general population does not have an increased risk of infection at this time. For additional information, please visit the website for the California Department of Public Health.

The City of West Hollywood is getting the word out that, on Tuesday, September 19, 2017, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) declared an outbreak of Hepatitis A in Los Angeles County. Ten total cases have been confirmed in Los Angeles County; these cases are associated with people who are experiencing homelessness or with illicit drug use.

The local Hepatitis A outbreak follows a currently ongoing outbreak in San Diego County with more than 400 cases since November 2016 and follows an outbreak in Santa Cruz County, which has had more than 50 cases. A majority of cases in those counties have occurred in persons who are experiencing homelessness and/or who use illicit drugs, with several cases also occurring among people who provide services to homeless populations.

According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Hepatitis A is a liver infection caused by the Hepatitis A virus (HAV). Hepatitis A is highly contagious. It is usually transmitted by the fecal-oral route, either through person-to-person contact or consumption of contaminated food or water.”

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health: “Signs and symptoms of acute HAV include fever, malaise, dark urine, lack of appetite, nausea, and stomach pain, followed by jaundice. Symptoms generally last for less than two months although some persons may have prolonged or more severe illness.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health recommends the following steps to prevent Hepatitis A:

• Get vaccinated for Hepatitis A;
• Don’t have sex with someone who has Hepatitis A infection;
• Use your own towels, toothbrushes, and eating utensils;
• Don’t share food, drinks, or smokes with other people; and
• Wash hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before preparing, serving, or eating food.

The Hepatitis A vaccine is given as two shots, six months apart. The vaccine is safe and effective, and even a single dose is highly effective in adults. Community members are advised to talk with their physicians about vaccination.

Public Health Centers countywide administer Hepatitis A vaccinations at low or no cost on a sliding scale. The City of West Hollywood’s nearest Public Health Center is the Hollywood/Wilshire Health Center, located at 5205 Melrose Avenue in the City of Los Angeles. Hepatitis A vaccines are provided to walk-in patients on Mondays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. For more information, please call the Hollywood/Wilshire Health Center at (323) 769-7800.

The Los Angeles LGBT Center WeHo, located at 8745 Santa Monica Boulevard, administers Hepatitis A vaccines to patients who are on a Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) regimen. For more information, please call the Los Angeles LGBT Center WeHo at (323) 993-7440.

For additional up-to-date information from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) about Hepatitis A in Los Angeles County, please visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/acd/Diseases/HepA.htm.

For additional information about risk factors and preventing the spread of Hepatitis A, visit http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/hepa/index.htm.

For more information, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Social Services Division at (323) 848-6510. For people who are deaf or hearing impaired, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.