Hepatitis A "Major Concern" for Gays in Atanta

An increase in reported cases of hepatitis A in metro Atlanta is causing "a major health concern" and prompting health officials and AIDS agencies to launch prevention campaigns aimed at gay men.

A majority of the 600 new hepatitis cases reported across Georgia in the first 10 months of 2001 came from five metro Atlanta counties -- Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett -- according to the Georgia Division of Public Health. And a majority of those cases are among men who have sex with men.

"We believe this is the largest outbreak we have ever seen for hep A, and it seems the vast majority of positive cases are among men, so it's a huge concern for gay and bisexual men in the metro area," said Travis Sanchez, a Georgia Division of Public Health infectious disease epidemiologist.

Most women are not at high risk for hepatitis A unless they are exposed to children positive for hepatitis A or are sexually active with bisexual men. Hepatitis can also be transmitted through household contact -- after going to the bathroom and preparing a meal -- and in a restaurant, although this is rare. Hepatitis A is preventable thanks to a vaccine introduced in 1995. The vaccine requires two doses at an average cost of $60.

"The magnitude of this problem has gotten buried in the back pages the past three years," said Dr. Stuart Brown, medical director of the DeKalb County Board of Health. "It's past time to say this is a big problem. It's very preventable. Yes, people can change their behavior, increase hygiene and practice safer sex, and yes, we've got high risk groups like men who have sex with men, but the issue is people should be aware of it and people should get vaccinated."

"It's a major concern of ours, and it's certainly been under-prioritized before now," said Craig Washington, executive director of the Center, a Midtown facility that primarily serves gay men and lesbians. The Center administers up to 10 hepatitis A and B vaccines a day. And AID Atlanta and AID Gwinnett have partnered with the Georgia Division of Public Health to launch a mobile vaccination program, which begins Dec. 8. Dates and locations are available at: www.aidatlanta.org. Other venues for vaccinations are fixed public health sites and private health care providers.

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