Hepatitis A outbreak concerns health officials in El Paso, Pueblo counties

The homeless in El Paso and Pueblo counties are among a group of high-risk individuals being asked by health officials to get free shots containing the hepatitis A vaccine.

Officials said confirmed cases, usually numbering only a few annually, began spiking last fall.

“We’ve had 11 cases in El Paso County,” said Kimberly Pattison, program manager for communicable disease at El Paso County Public Health. “We’ve had about 13 vaccination clinics that we set up.”

Pattison said the homeless, illegal drug users who inject and gay men are particularly vulnerable to the disease, a virus that affects the liver and is fatal if untreated.

“These are populations that are in close contact and often don’t have access to medical care or sanitation,” she said.

Around 400 people have received the vaccine since October, Pattison said.

Pueblo County officials said they have three confirmed cases of hepatitis A and have given the vaccine to 79 people.

Officials said they work closely with other health organizations and homeless advocates to track who needs or has interest in receiving the vaccine, a process that requires two shots.

“We’ve had a good response from (the homeless),” Pattison said.

Pattison said El Paso County will continue its increased response to the outbreak at least through spring.

“It can take weeks for symptoms to appear, but an infected person can spread the virus long before that,” she said.

Hepatitis A often is spread by feces from people who don’t wash their hands after using the restroom.

Some homeless people said they aren’t worried about the disease and don’t intend to get a shot because they keep clean and avoid others who aren’t.

Other homeless people said the hepatitis situation would be far less serious if authorities would provide more restroom facilities and keep those facilities clean.

Authorities previously have said they can’t afford to provide restroom facilities at all homeless gathering spots and that facilities are often damaged or vandalized.

Hazel Breckenridge, 11, and her mother are homeless, and Hazel said they got hepatitis shots out of concern for their health.

“I hear people talking about it a lot,” she said. “I don’t know what it is, but I don’t want to get sick. It’s hard to be sick when you’re homeless.”

The hepatitis A vaccine became available for childhood immunizations in 1996, but officials said many older people haven’t been vaccinated.

“Washing your hands after using the restroom generally is enough protection for most people,” Pattison said.

For more information, contact the El Paso or Pueblo county health departments.

As a reminder, the vaccine is free only to the high-risk groups mentioned above.