Southern Indiana officials fight hepatitis A outbreak

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Health officials in southern Indiana are working to increase the availability of vaccinations following a hepatitis A outbreak.

Floyd and Clark counties have each confirmed about 30 hepatitis A cases since February, The News and Tribune reported . Cases include restaurant employees, but the virus is now contained to household contact with those infected, officials said.

"Our concern is that can always change," said Dr. Eric Yazel, Clark County health officer. "We try to be as transparent as possible to the general public, and try to educate and deal with the aftermath."

Officials in both counties are working to vaccinate more people, with a focus on high-risk populations such as homeless people and jail inmates.

The Clark County Health Department can only offer vaccinations to the uninsured and high-risk populations because of a limited supply. Yazel said the county is also focusing on first responders and health care workers. Officials hope to expand the program to allow for more widespread vaccinations.

"The framework is there," Yazel said. "We're still about 10 days out or so from being able to do that."

Floyd County offers vaccinations to both insured and uninsured people. The county has provided about 1,600 vaccinations since the outbreak began. County officials also established an outreach program for the food service industry, said Dr. Tom Harris, Floyd County health officer.

"We've actually had a fairly good response, not only with the staff of the health department, but also the community in general," Harris said. "I think there's been a nice community response of people asking the right questions. Overall, things have gone well."

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Information from: News and Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind., http://www.newsandtribune.com