Hepatitis Vaccination Begins in Casper, Wyo.

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.

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