El Paso County jail inmate tests positive for Hepatitis A

An inmate who has been in the El Paso County Jail since mid-January has tested positive for Hepatitis A, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday.

The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office received the notice from jail medical staff around 2:15 p.m. Thursday, and the inmate has been placed in quarantine.

Jail staffers are working to vaccinate all inmates and employees who may have come in contact with the infected inmate, according to a news release. The inmate hasn’t been identified.

The jail has been vaccinating all inmates who are “transient/homeless and drug users during the intake process” since Jan. 25. The infected inmate was booked on Jan. 16.

If you have a Hepatitis A vaccination, you are immune for the rest of your life.