Hepatitis Vaccination Begins in Casper, Wyo.June 30, 2003 Following an outbreak of hepatitis that has sickened nearly
60 people since February, federal health officials will vaccinate
at-risk residents of Casper, Wyo. Eight people out of the 57 with
confirmed hepatitis B and hepatitis C cases in Natrona County
have been hospitalized. A three-member team from CDC arrived last
week to begin vaccinating those at risk for hepatitis B. No
vaccination exists for hepatitis C. According to Casper-Natrona
County Health Director Bob Harrington, people with symptoms have
begun trickling into Casper health care clinics to be tested for
both strains of hepatitis. To date, those infected in the
outbreak are ages 18 to 54, with males accounting for 56 percent
of cases. Sexual contact and indirect sharing of drug
paraphernalia appear to be associated with transmission in some
cases, said Harrington.
Adapted from:Back to other CDC news for June 30, 2003 Associated Press 06.27.03 This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update. |