A lethal hepatitis A outbreak has hit San Diego, devastating its status as “America’s Finest City.” With 16 casualties and 421 reported hepatitis A cases since November 2016, this is the second-largest hepatitis A outbreak in decades. Food businesses and the tourism industry, among others, have all taken a substantial financial hit from this public health emergency that has put locals and tourists on edge.

To combat the spread of this highly contagious virus, local government and health officials of the coastal county are pulling all the stops to treat and prevent further hepatitis cases, with these strategies that other communities should note and learn from, moving forward.

Prevention through Vaccination

Central to San Diego’s prevention efforts is a vaccination campaign, which has vaccinated over 19,000 people primarily children and high-risk adults. Free vaccination programs have also been offered to workers in the food and beverage industry, as well as to drug users and homeless people, who are most affected by this outbreak. Nurses visited homeless shelters to give hepatitis A vaccines, and mobile teams went to remote locations where homeless people are known to venture.

Emphasis on Hygiene

Hepatitis A is primarily transmitted via person-to-person contact. The virus is also spread through contact with contaminated food, drinks, and other objects. A person can get hepatitis A by going to a public restroom, touching a contaminated object, and forgetting to properly wash his/her hands. As such, the imperative of hand hygiene is being underscored through the installation of public hand-washing stations, especially near homeless encampments; and per the distribution of free “Hepatitis A Prevention Kits” that contain hand sanitizers, soaps, cleansing wipes, and other sanitation products.

Twenty portable public restrooms were also opened in downtown San Diego to help promote sanitary conditions. These are monitored with a  24-hour security and daily maintenance. More restrooms will be installed in key areas throughout the city. The city’s lack of public restrooms and sanitation facilities for the homeless is believed to be one of the drivers of poor hygiene in this group.

Local authorities also had the sidewalks and streets power-washed with bleach — a strategy learned from L.A. county, which also deals with a big homeless population. Cleaning the streets with water mixed with 10% bleach is believed to destroy hepatitis A virus and reduce contamination of public areas. 

More proactive solutions are being developed to advance public awareness of hepatitis A and improve unsanitary conditions of at-risk groups in San Diego. In the face of an outbreak, it’s important to keep awareness and prevention in mind — yes: Screen. Vaccinate. Don’t hesitate.

To learn more about hepatitis A, click here

To stay updated on the San Diego Hepatitis A Outbreak, click here

To get a hepatitis A vaccine in San Diego, click here