Officials confirmed an adult at Bellevue Middle School has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A.
According to reports, the school sent information home with children on Wednesday letting parents know the case was diagnosed.
Authorities said they believe any potential exposure for students is very low. School officials initially stated the person involved was a teacher, but later corrected that information to say it was an adult at the school "but not someone serving in a teacher capacity."
Vaccinations are still being offered by the health department for students who have not yet received one.
Officials with Metro Nashville Public Schools released the following statement:
“We were notified that a teacher had Hepatitis A. We are working closely with MPHD regarding parental contact. We have audited all student records for students missing the vaccine or missing immunization certificates. The principal sent a call out on Tuesday night to parents about the situation and a letter was sent home on Wednesday sharing that the risk to children is extremely low, but out of abundance of caution we wanted parents to know and that this is a good reminder for parents to have their children’s vaccines up to date. MPHD provided free vaccines to staff at Bellevue and is with us on contacting the families of each student missing the vaccines or no immunization record. If the students is missing an immunization record, they are double checking in the state registry site for this. If there is still no proof, they will move forward contacting the parent/guardian.”
Health department officials said there have been 93 confirmed cases of hepatitis A in Nashville since December 2017.
The three groups at the greatest risk of exposure include people who have used drugs (not just injection drug use), men who have sexual contact with men, and individuals experiencing homelessness.
You can visit the MPHD at the following locations:
- Lentz Public Health Center - 2500 Charlotte Ave. 37209 - Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Lentz Special hepatitis A vaccine clinic - July 28 and 29 - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- East Health Center - 1015 East Trinity Lane 37206 - Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Woodbine Health Center - 224 Oriel Ave. 37210 - Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Officials said they’ve confirmed 60 cases of hepatitis A in Nashville since December 2017.
For those in the three at-risk groups, an agreement with Neighborhood Health has been established to provide hepatitis A vaccinations.
You can find Neighborhood Health at the following locations:
- Downtown Clinic - 526 8th Avenue South (adjacent to the Room in the Inn campus) - Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Madison Clinic - 601 W. Due West Avenue - Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- My House Clinic - 442 Metroplex Dr. Building D, Suite 200 - Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Friday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Cayce Clinic - 617 South 8th St. - Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
- Cleveland Park Medical & Dental Clinic - 1223 Dickerson Pike - Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm
- Eastside Medical & Dental Clinic - 905 Main St. - Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm
- Napier Medical & Dental Clinic - 107 Charles E. Davis Blvd. - Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm
Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments can be made with Neighborhood Health by calling 615-227-3000.
The symptoms of hepatitis A include:
- Fatigue
- Decreased appetite
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- Darkened urine
- Pale stools
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes)
