Hepatitis A is spreading in Horry County. Here’s where you can get a free vaccine.
Cases of hepatitis A have significantly increased in Horry County in the last three months, data from the South Carolina state health department show.
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) reported a “marked increase” has been recorded across the Pee Dee region since January, with the jump in cases centered in Horry County.
Horry County has recorded 32 cases of hepatitis A since January, compared to fewer than five cases in the same time period last year, according to DHEC. Of the Pee Dee region’s 43 cases so far this year, 74% were reported in Horry County.
In May 2019, the state declared a hepatitis A outbreak following an outbreak in Aiken County leading to the spread of the infection across the state. In the decade preceding the outbreak, the yearly average was only 19 cases in the whole state, a number Horry County alone has surpassed in the first few months of 2021.
What is hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is a contagious liver infection that can be spread through contact with an infected person or consuming contaminated food or drink.
Symptoms of hepatitis A include stomach pain, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, body aches, fatigue and yellow skin or eyes. The best prevention for hepatitis A is to get vaccinated against the virus. People with the infection generally recover after a few weeks or months of feeling sick, and most don’t have lasting liver damage, but in rare cases it can cause liver failure or lead to death, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
Since the CDC first recognized hepatitis A outbreaks in 2016, there have been 38,369 cases and 361 deaths in 35 states. Sixty-one percent of those cases required hospitalization. South Carolina has had 1,911 cases of hepatitis A since 2018, according to CDC data.
People at a higher risk of contracting hepatitis A include those who use injection or non-injection drugs, people who are homeless or experience unstable housing, men who have sex with other men, and those who have been recently incarcerated, according to the CDC.
Last year, 1,202 cases of hepatitis A were reported in South Carolina, and 54% of those were in people who reported using “street” drugs, according to DHEC. Since cases began increasing across the state in fall 2018, 5% of cases were in men who had sex with other men, and 5% of cases were in people in “special living circumstances,” including people who are homeless or incarcerated.
The current increase in hepatitis A coincides with the coronavirus pandemic, though there’s not a known link between the spread of the two viruses, DHEC said.
If you’ve been exposed to hepatitis A or are in a high-risk group, call the health department at (855) 472-3432 to schedule a free vaccine. The vaccine is also available at doctor’s offices and local pharmacies.
Hepatitis A cases in Horry County
A specific location hasn’t been pinpointed for Horry County’s recent increase in hepatitis A cases, according to DHEC.
One case of hepatitis A was identified in the past few months at New Directions, a homeless shelter in Myrtle Beach, according to executive director Kathy Jenkins. The person was staying in an emergency shelter and DHEC sent representatives to vaccinate those who may have been exposed, she said.
Marcus Rhodes, director of J. Reuben Long Detention Center, said the Horry County jail has had one case of hepatitis A this year. Rhodes said that by the time DHEC notified him of the case, the infected inmate had been released from jail.
“We’ve only been alerted to one case by DHEC. That individual was no longer in our facility. If there’s any type of an outbreak of an infectious disease in a congregate setting, we want to take those seriously and follow any protocols reccomended by DHEC or CDC to prevent the spread of that disease to the best of our ability,” Rhodes said.
“We always partner with DHEC any time there’s any sort of a public health issue,” Rhodes said. “DHEC has been to our facility in the past to conduct vaccination clinics.”
Rhodes said it was the first case and only case of hepatitis A at the jail that he’s been aware of since he became director in February of last year.
