Spike in Hepatitis B Cases Prompts Awareness Campaign in Mercer

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CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

WEST VIRGINIA:

" Spike in Hepatitis B Cases Prompts Awareness Campaign in Mercer "

Associated Press (12.20.04)::Pam Ramsey

Mercer County health officials have launched a hepatitis B

public-awareness campaign in response to a large increase in cases this

year. As of Friday, the Mercer County Health Department had reported 15

cases of hepatitis B and four or five cases of hepatitis C to the West

Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, said DHHR spokesperson

Joe Thornton.

Mercer County's number of hepatitis B cases is about 50 percent higher

than the total for 2003, said county public health nurse Melody Rickman,

adding the spike has attracted the attention of CDC. Thornton said the state

is also tracking the number of cases.

" Our concern is, we just want to educate the public and make them

aware. People need to know how hepatitis B is spread, " said Rickman. Both

hepatitis B and C are transmitted through blood or other body fluids and can

be spread by sharing needles or drugs, having unprotected sex with an

infected person, or exposure to needles or other sharp objects in the

workplace.

Rickman said the increase could be partially attributed to more

aggressive tracking and reporting of hepatitis B. Mercer County is training

health-care providers on how to report hepatitis, and health departments are

being trained to follow up on reports. " We want to see if we've had an

increase in sharing needles, people that don't know their sex partners or

are practicing unsafe sex. where would be the best place to focus our

education efforts, " Rickman said.

Since the campaign began earlier this month, several residents have

telephoned the county health department asking questions and expressing

concern, said Rickman. In addition to education, health officials want to

inform residents that a vaccine is available for hepatitis B, she noted.